ABCs with Sasuke and Hinata
by OPrincess ShinigamiO
Summary: Alphabet drabbles about random moments in the lives of Sasuke and Hinata. S-Sakura: It helped that she rarely saw them together these past few weeks. But now, it felt like hell. Cold, burning hell.
1. Anniversary

**OPrincess ShinigamiO** here! I just recently watched the latest trailer of Naruto Shippuden movie called Road to Ninja, and lookie what surprised me the most: FLIRTY SASUKE AND SEXY CONFIDENT HINATA! That's when I regained back my SasuHina mood, and before I knew it, I wanted to make drabbles for SasuHina! So please enjoy these irregularly-updated alphabet drabbles while I'm still in the mood! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Shippuden. Otherwise, I'd allow Sasuke to puncture Sakura's head with lightning :)

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_A- Anniversary:_

...

Uchiha Sasuke, Konoha's former wanted rogue ninja and the only living Uchiha left, wandered around the ruined place that was the Uchiha Compound, a bag of tomatoes and other groceries on his hand.

It's been a year since Naruto brought him back to Konoha, half a year since he gained freedom from Konoha's shackles. A lot of people still didn't trust him, but he couldn't care less. He'd rather die than interact with anyone in the village. The only reason he didn't already take his own life is because he knew that doing so makes him a coward. And sages know that Uchihas are no cowards. He needed to prove Konoha wrong, and that no matter the obstacles, the Uchihas will survive.

As he approached his former home, he stopped as he heard tiny scratching noise, more like someone digging. He looked around the compound, seeing no one in the vicinity. Taking out a kunai from his sleeve, he slowly made his way towards the house. Silently opening the door, he peeked around the dark rooms, seeing no one, much to his confusion. Then just as he was about to ignore his instincts, he heard a tiny squeak coming from the Uchiha's backyard. Leaving the groceries on the kitchen table, he stealthily made his way towards the window. As soon as he saw who's outside, he frowned as he observed a Hyuuga girl digging seeds into the muddy patch of soil. An opened pouch with a picture of tomatoes sat beside her. Sighing, he made his way to the backyard, effectively surprising the oblivious Hyuuga as soon as she turned to see who's behind her.

"Oh! Uchiha-kun! You scared me!"

"What the hell are you doing, Hyuuga?"

"Ah, um," Hinata murmured, poking her muddy fingers timidly, "I-I w-was trying t-to make a t-to-tomato garden for you. Y-you know, so you wouldn't have to buy them from the market as often. I know that you hate being in crowds, so I thought that growing your own tomatoes would make it easier for you. A-also, think of it as a congratulatory gift for your one year of returning."

Sasuke studied the little patch of tomato seeds in front of him. Ever since Hinata was given the task to watch over him half a year ago, the Uchiha has grown used to her company, even when he acted so hostile when she first started. Hinata was obviously frightened of him, but nevertheless, she kept her judgments to herself and treated him as nicely as she did to anyone. That was probably why Tsunade tasked her to take him in the first place. Knowing that his chakras were sealed as punishment, Hinata still feared of what he might do to her, since he's pretty much talented in using weapons as well. But throughout the year, Sasuke never harmed her in any physical way, only verbally did he tried to hurt her to make her go away. His insults worked at first, but Hinata's determination and promise to Naruto didn't allow her to give up on him, and before long, she's gotten used to the Uchiha's indifference and insults until he stopped altogether and calmed down.

After that, they began spending more time talking little by little, with her asking how his day went and he replying with his usual grunts, sometimes even talking in short sentences, much to Hinata's delight. Nothing personal, but something to make time pass. And before they knew it, they became comfortable with each other, no longer as awkward as they were before even to the extent of Sasuke letting Hinata decorate his home with gifts or whatever she thought would make him happy. And as much as Sasuke hated to admit, he actually liked being spoiled by Hinata.

"… Thanks."

A shocked Hinata looked up so quickly, her neck almost snapped, eyes widened as she saw Sasuke look away with a tiny tinge of pink on his cheeks. She then gave a smile, feeling tiny leaps in her stomach and burning heat on her face.

"… You're welcome, Uchiha-kun. Happy comeback Anniversary."

...

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Reviews are always welcome! :)


	2. Baking

**OPrincess ShinigamiO** here! Seeing that I pretty much have a lot of free time this week, I decided to might as well post the second chapter. I'm glad that there are people who actually enjoyed my drabble, and I'd like to thank the people who story-alerted, favorited, and most especially reviewed for the first chapter! I'd like to mention some, but seeing that a lot of the reviewers are anonymous, I decided that maybe I'll post thanks for specific reviewers on the next chapter! ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto/Shippuden... Unless you see Sasuke and Hinata having awesome babies together! XD

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_B – Baking_

...

"What is all this?"

"Oh, they're all ingredients for the chocolate cake I'm making."

The sullen Uchiha frowned as he watched his Hyuuga companion arrange her baking materials in the Uchiha mansion's kitchen. Since Hinata has been visiting often, she took it upon herself to cook for Sasuke as much as her schedule allows her to. And although he wouldn't say it out loud, Hinata knew that Sasuke actually enjoyed her cooking (well, except for that one time when she brought a batch of disgusting, mud-tasting cupcakes, which was supposedly not her fault since Sakura happened to add some "healthy" ingredients of her own).

As Hinata started whisking the eggs, Sasuke leaned casually on the counter beside the stove, pondering on why she decided to suddenly bake a cake. Usually when she starts baking something, it meant that there was some special occasion the day after.

As he tried remembering what day it was (since he found no point in counting the days if he actually cared), Hinata slightly peeked at the Uchiha beside her, and as if reading his mind, she told him that tomorrow was the 14th of February.

Sasuke scowled even deeper.

"…Valentines' Day…"

"That's right, Sasuke-kun!" Hinata giggled, as she started melting the dark chocolate, "I'm glad you remembered such occasion."

"Hn."

A few silent yet comfortable moments passed while Hinata continued baking, her companion observing her every move. Sasuke didn't usually care, but curiosity got him as soon as he saw how many cakes Hinata began preparing.

"So, who are you making these for?"

Hinata paused, looking up in the ceiling while counting off her fingers.

"Um, well, there's Kiba-kun and Shino-kun, Neji-nii, and Lee-kun, since he's his teammate after all, and then maybe Shikamaru-kun for taking care of Kurenai-sensei and, oh, Choji-kun! He'll really appreciate it! And-"

Hinata paused as a light blush tinged her face, much to Sasuke's slight annoyance.

"… And I suppose Naruto-kun." Hinata gave a tiny smile, "I think he'll like it too."

Sasuke wasn't one who showed much emotion except when he's angry or annoyed, but for some reason, he found it exceptionally hard to keep a straight face whenever his ramen-loving idiot of a teammate was mentioned with so much care.

Especially if it came from the angelic mouth of Hinata Hyuuga.

As Sasuke was about to leave, Hinata suddenly jumped, placing a chocolate-laden wooden spatula on her lips.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun! What would you like to have?"

Sasuke stopped by the kitchen doorway, then turned curiously at the anticipating Hyuuga girl.

"You mean, you're actually going to give me something on … Valentines' day?"

Hinata nodded, her eyes studying him as if contemplating what to make of him.

"Well, I know for one that you're not too fond of sweets, so I was wondering if you might prefer something else. Besides," Hinata looked down and tried to continue making her chocolate icing, her cheeks colored in an even darker shade, "I want to make something special for you."

As Sasuke continued giving her a questioning yet amused look, Hinata began stuttering, waving her chocolate-splattered hands and blushing in an even darker shade if possible.

"Y-yo-you're a v-very s-special f-friend! Y-y-you know! S-since y-you've become s-so nice to me! Well, a-at least, someone I could spend, um, time with if Kiba-kun and Shino-kun are on a mission! A-and so-someone I c-could talk c-comfortably with! A-a-and someone h-who'd let me cook in the house! A-and, and s-someone who w-wouldn't judge my hobbies! A-and, and, AND!"

Hinata stopped, not knowing what to say next after all the nonsensical stuttering she made. Embarrassed, she collapsed on the kitchen counter, leaning her forehead on the cold marble as she muttered apologies.

What she didn't see is Sasuke giving a tiny smirk, his eyes softening at the sight of his blubbering companion. But just as Hinata turned to apologize, he quickly transformed back to his nonchalant expression, though his eyes betrayed some of his hidden emotions.

Walking towards the embarrassed Hyuuga, he took one of her hands and brought it up in front of his face. And just as Hinata was about to question him, the Uchiha suddenly licked off the dark coat of chocolate on her fingers, much to Hinata's shock and embarrassment.

Smirking after he finished off the chocolate smudges, he leaned down and stopped by the frozen Hinata's ear, his warm breath tickling her neck.

"… I think I wouldn't mind having chocolate for dessert."

And with that, he turned and quickly left the kitchen, leaving Hinata frozen on the spot, her face burning even more after processing what just happened. Just as she began to recover, her mouth slowly formed a tiny smile as she remembered the memorable words the Uchiha murmured before he left.

"… Happy Valentines' Day, Hinata."

They had dark cherry-tomato shaped chocolates the next day.

...

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Again, reviews are ALWAYS welcome! ;) And maybe some suggested words for E and so on...


	3. Cats

**OPrincess ShinigamiO** here! First of all, I'd like to say that I'm pretty proud of myself for FINALLY making my first third chapter for a fanfic I created (I know, ridiculous right? XD) I usually give up on the second chapter, but here I am! Ahem, anyway, as promised I would like to thank and mention the lovely reviewers who spared some time to leave a review and I hope you'll continue to support my works! Thank you _mariarassi, Dreamgirl106, Serene-Aspiration723, Saki-Hime, Lost-puppyEYES, Sairiko,_and the other anonymous and guest readers! I'd like to thank some of you for the suggestions as well! And don't fret, I have all the alphabets covered now, so expect this collection of drabbles to be completed! ;D

Disclaimer: Again, I don't own Naruto/Shippuden... unless Sasuke and Hinata suddenly switch into their "Road To Ninja" selves in the canon universe! XD

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_C – Cats_

...

Hyuuga Hinata, seventeen years old, medical-trainee and the former Hyuuga Heiress, has just discovered one of the most surprising facts she's ever learned in her whole life.

Uchiha Sasuke has a soft spot for tiny, furry kittens.

"I don't see what's so surprising about it." The former avenger scowled as Hinata tried to muffle her growing giggles. A tiny white kitten with a black spot on one eye curled under the Uchiha's feet, mewing softly as if his feet were the warmest things it's ever felt.

"I-it's not meant to be an insult, Sasuke-kun," Hinata giggled, "I actually find it adorable, if anything. It's just that, I never expected you to be fond of cats. Or any animal at all, judging by your tough exterior."

"The Uchiha clan used to be very close to cats," Sasuke reminded her as he looked nonchalantly at the sleeping kitten on his feet, "We take our supplies from Granny Cat, and therefore we needed to be nice to the kittens with her."

"Ah, is that so?" Hinata replied as she gently scratched the tiny kitten's soft ears, much to the kitten's delight, "When I was younger, I used to have a pet kitten from my mother before Hanabi accidentally drowned the kitten in the bathtub. I think it was about that time when I heard my father once talking about the Uchihas mingling with cats."

"And I bet he found it ridiculous," Sasuke muttered. Hiashi has never been fond of the Uchihas, and ever since Hinata started spending more of her free time with Sasuke, Hiashi has been sending death glares and threats (via Neji) to warn him from ever hurting his little girl. Sasuke didn't mind at all, since it was an everyday occurrence. He wasn't fond of the strict, dull Hyuugas anyway.

Well, except for the one right beside him.

"W-well, he didn't exactly say that…" Hinata murmured while looking down at her twiddling fingers, but Sasuke knew that he was exactly spot on.

"So! Are you going to keep it?" Hinata asked, clapping her hands together and giving a bright smile.

Sasuke studied the mewling kitten lying on his feet. He remembered the one time when Itachi brought a sick kitten home after a mission. Despite their parents' protests, Itachi and Sasuke continuously took care of the sick kitten until its death a month afterwards. Sasuke would never forget the words Itachi bestowed upon him when he asked his older brother why he decided to keep the kitten even when it's dying.

"_Because I don't think I want to see the little thing die before my eyes without me doing anything to help it. Even if it does eventually die, I think I'll be satisfied knowing that the little guy has gotten all the love and care he deserves. That's why you should treasure life and the friends you have, Sasuke. Because you'll never know when they'll need you, and when it's too late to do anything about it."_

"Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke blinked, keeping his face expressionless after remembering those happy times with his older brother. He turned to see Hinata looking worriedly at him because of his lack of response.

He then turned to look at the small kitten on his feet, which was still sleeping soundly on the soft carpet.

"Chiisai."

Hinata blinked at her Uchiha companion.

"W-what?"

"It was what I named my kitten when I was little, because it was so tiny."

Hinata studied her nonchalant companion, and then taps a finger on her chin as if judging the name.

"Chiisai. Or Chii for short. I guess it's quite fitting for the little kitten. Alright," Hinata smiled, crouching to scratch the kitten's ears again, "Welcome to the family, Uchiha Chii. I'm sure Sasuke-kun will take very good care of you."

Sasuke's expression softened slightly at the sight. The tiny kitten, Chii, began purring and climbing into Hinata's arms, snuggling into her chest and returning back to its slumber. As Hinata turned to give Sasuke a shy yet proud smile, Sasuke allowed himself to ever so slightly turn his lips upward.

Itachi was right. Maybe having someone to treasure for life isn't something to look down upon.

...

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Again, reviews are welcome! Suggestions for other characters' appearances are welcome as well if you're desperate! ;)


	4. Disturbance

**OPrincess ShinigamiO** here! I'm proud to announce that for the first time in this fic, another character aside from Sasuke and Hinata will finally make a personal appearance! And this special person is... (*dum du-du-dum!*) NARUTO! Yeah, Hinata's crush, I know. But it's not what you think. Sasuke and Naruto are taking over most of this chapter, and I'd like to show their current relationship and how they treat each other. I actually like this chapter a lot, and I hope you enjoy it as well! You can expect a little OOC in my fics, but that's what fanfiction's for right? ;)

Oh yeah, I'd like to thank my lovely reviewers _Serene-Aspiration723, Saki-Hime, Ayuzawa Shia, FlameOfAFriend94, ZoMg1010, evilbananalol_, and the rest of the guest and anonymous reviewers! Please continue to give your support and comments! Your reviews fuel up my motivation to write! ;D

Disclaimer: Again, I don't own... Unless Minato and Kushina are alive in the canon world! ;,)

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_D- Disturbance_

...

"B-b-but I-"

"Hyuuga, don't make me say it twice."

"B-but it's already twelve noon a-and I-"

"And you're obviously still hungover from last night. If I let you go home now, who knows what kind of blasphemy your paranoid cousin would spout against me."

Hinata hesitated, but eventually nodded when she saw the hard look on Sasuke's eyes. She knows that look. When his cold onyx eyes turn even darker than usual (Hinata insists that it's possible), then there's absolutely nothing that could possibly change his mind.

"A-alright, Sasuke-kun. I-I suppose a few more minutes will do."

"Take a whole hour, Hinata. Now get going." The former avenger ordered in a stern tone, pushing the heiress into his room and closing it afterwards, "And I will not be expecting you out of bed after an hour."

After making sure that he could hear the Hyuuga climbing onto his bed, he gave an exasperated sigh and trudged to his kitchen. The night before, the whole rookie 9 threw a huge birthday party for their nonchalant, bug-loving teammate Shino. Kiba and Naruto insisted that they should hold it in a club to help Shino "liven up" a bit more, despite Hinata and Sakura's protests. But they did anyway, and someone eventually spiked Hinata's supposedly innocent drink before she began laughing like a madman and babbling nonstop about some secrets she probably would be too embarrassed to tell _("I said a dirty word only once in my whole life! ONCE! Sh*t, sorry for puking on you Lee-kun! Oh, oh! TWICE!" "I still wear my pink teddy bear panties every bedtime! They're sooooo soft and comfy, even when there are holes on it now!" "Did you know that I once caught Neji-nii and Tenten-chan making out in my own bedroom? Yes, they were f*cking on my own bed! Ooh, ooh! THRICE!"_)

It's a good thing then that Neji didn't attend Shino's birthday party because he was out on a mission (though it would have been epic if he did), but his weapon mistress girlfriend definitely drank a lot more vodka and isolated herself with the toilet after Hinata's outbursts.

The Hyuuga heiress originally told her father that she was going to stay overnight at Sakura's place, but since the pink-haired medic and her blonde best frenemy Ino were too trashed to even sit up from their tables, Sasuke, who was one of the guys who didn't drink a lot of alcohol and wasn't dancing the hula with only their underwear on aside from Sai, Shikamaru, and Shino himself, decided to take Hinata home, his home, to save her from embarrassing herself even further, though it was quite entertaining to watch her loosen up a bit, he admits.

After indulging himself with some of the homegrown tomatoes Hinata planted some months ago, he picked up the empty mayonnaise jar and was about to place it in the trash bin when a barrage of loud bangs echoed on the front door.

"SASUKE-TEME! OPEN UP! IT'S AN EMERGENCY!"

Sasuke groaned, rolling his eyes after another barrage of knocks threatened to break down his door.

"… Naruto… just what I needed…" he murmured sarcastically.

Suddenly remembering that Hinata was fast asleep in his bedroom, Sasuke quickly went and opened his front door, glaring daggers at his loud orange-clad teammate and "best friend".

"Naruto, what do you want?"

"Ah, thank goodness you're home! I need your help!" Naruto exclaimed, his head beading with sweat probably from fear.

"Shut it, you idiot. Someone's sleeping in the other room."

Naruto paused, raising an eyebrow at his annoyed friend.

"Huh? I didn't know you're living with someone," he then flashed a sly grin, much to the Uchiha's annoyance, "I didn't know you had it in you! For some time, I thought you weren't strai-hey!"

The future hokage began nursing the growing bump on his head, thanks to the former avenger's empty mayonnaise jar.

"Shut up and tell me what you need. My… cat is sick and needs its rest."

"Your… cat? Oh, you mean Chii? Ehehe, sorry then."

Sasuke didn't even bother to prevent himself from rolling his eyes to his friend's obliviousness. While it was true that his cat Chii was caught with the flu, the poor thing was actually staying in Konoha's veterinarian clinic for a whole week until he's completely healthy. Hinata insisted that the kitten stay there in case it becomes contagious and would infect Sasuke in any way, since he was sick (exhausted, Sasuke insists) just three weeks ago.

"Anyway, I was training in the forest just this morning with Kakashi-sensei when I happened to trip over his stupid Icha Icha Paradise book. It must've slipped from his pocket without him knowing, so I thought about using it as blackmail to get me free ramen. He always disappears whenever I ask him for some free ramen, which is really annoying since he owes me for doing that stupid painting mission just so he could-"

"I don't want to listen to your useless stories, Naruto. Get to the point already." Sasuke retorted, stopping himself from pinching his nose in frustration.

"Well, I kinda accidentally tripped on a frog and got the book washed up in the river," Naruto scratched his whiskered cheek while giving a nervous grin, "I-I tried getting it back, but the river was really rough. And when I did manage to catch up to it, the book kinda fell apart."

Sasuke couldn't really say that he was surprised. Despite being deemed the savior of the whole ninja world, Naruto was still an idiot and was clumsy in everything he does.

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"Are you kidding?" Naruto exclaimed, his blue eyes widening as large as saucers, "Kakashi-sensei's gonna KILL me when he finds out about his precious special edition book! SPECIAL, GOLDEN AND AUTOGRAPHED LIMITED EDITION BOOK! And I can't exactly ask Jiraya-sensei to make another one for free since he's … you know!"

"So what does that have to do with me?"

"Eh, well, I kinda need to, um, borrow some money?" Naruto's nervous grin grew just as Sasuke's scowl went deeper, "Look, I just found the very last edition of the book in one of the bookstores in the edge of town and the manager says that it was the only one left in the entire Leaf Village and if I don't get it right now then I could kiss my extra ramen and my poor ass goodbye!"

"Why don't you ask Sakura for the money then?"

"She says that she doesn't have a lot to spare since she's saving up for this specially rare imported healing herb set that she's been dying to get her hands on for years and that you might have a lot more money than anyone else would, since, well, you kinda have the whole Uchiha clan's inheritance now."

"Forget it. I'm not wasting my money because of some perverted novel."

Before Sasuke could close the door, the determined blonde ninja pulled at the door on the opposite side.

"Come on, teme! Just one measly loan and I won't bother you for free ramen anymore! A-and if you won't do it, I'll knock and shout outside your door until you give in! And I'll wake your precious cat too! WAKE U-mmph!"

Sasuke immediately covered his noisy friend's mouth, worrying if Hinata might be disturbed by the loud noises now. Seeing that his bedroom door remained closed after a minute, the Uchiha sighed in relief and glared at the muffling Uzumaki.

"… Fine. Stay still and shut up."

Naruto immediately nodded, a giant relieved grin spreading on his face after Sasuke went to get money from his wallet.

"Wow, I never would've thought that you'd be so worried about your cat. Chii must be really sick and tired right now."

"_It's Hinata you're disturbing, you loud-mouthed idiot." _Sasuke grudgingly thought to himself, taking out a lot of bills and shoving it to a happy Naruto.

"Whoa, you really are loaded! Maybe I should ask for free ramen treats from you more often. Thanks, Sasuke-teme!" Naruto ignored the deadly glare Sasuke gave him.

"Don't even try. Now get out of my property."

"Okay, okay, sheesh!"

Naruto was just about to turn to leave with the borrowed money when Sasuke sighed and looked down, realizing that he was still carrying the empty mayonnaise jar he was about to throw away.

"Hold on, Naruto."

Naruto turned back with a questioning look before Sasuke shoved the empty jar to the blonde ninja's chest.

"Take out the trash for me."

"Hey-!"

Sasuke slammed the door on his friend's face before he could retort, walking back to the living room with a relieved smirk. Just as he sat down on the couch to read some scrolls he got from his father's bookshelf, the bedroom door opened to reveal a tired but curious Hyuuga heiress. Sasuke looked up and narrowed his eyes.

"I thought I told you not to come out until after an hour."

"I heard the door slam, and I thought you were talking to someone just a few minutes ago," Hinata said nervously, combing some tangled strands of her midnight blue hair, "who was it?"

Sasuke smirked, flipping though his father's scrolls.

"The garbage-collector. He just came to take out the trash."

...

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Again, reviews are always welcome! Next chapter might be a bit angsty, if you'd like to know! ;)


	5. Endurance

**OPrincess ShinigamiO** here! Yes, it's really too early for me to post this chapter, but who cares? I said I was updating irregularly didn't I? Anyway, coincidentally, this week's chapter (in the manga, I mean) shows Sasuke FINALLY thinking things through WITHOUT relying on his vengeful nature. Yeah, he summoned the stupid snake again (if you don't know who I mean, it's Orochimaru), but I suppose it's for a good reason. Well, in this chapter (the drabble) it'll show a bit of the angsty side of Sasuke. He may be living in peace now, but that doesn't mean that he no longer suffers with the pain from his past. Not sure if I did justice to the "angst" theme (I'm not used to writing angst, you see), but I hope I made my point clear anyway. ;)

And of course, I'd like to thank my awesome reviewers _FlameOfAFriend94, Serene-Aspiration723, Lost-puppyEYES, butterflyV, The Masked Idiot, ZoMg1010, evilbananalol_, and the other guest reviewers! I really really really appreciate your comments and support, and I hope it will still continue! ;D

Disclaimer: I don't own... unless Itachi's back and reincarnated for good (and not in some zombie form!) XD

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_E- Endurance_

...

The dark looming shadows fell over the last Uchiha's crouching body, threatening to swallow him whole in suffering. The latter writhed in pain, clutching his sweating head as his eyes bled profusely.

"_It's over, Sasuke_," a haunting voice that belonged to the dead Itachi Uchiha echoed throughout the darkness, "_It's time to give into the Uchiha clan's fate_."

"No!" Sasuke screamed, "I won't! I-I can't!"

"_Yes, you can_," Itachi's haunting voice replied, his blood-red mangekyou sharingan revealing itself in front of the pained Uchiha, "_It's time to join me, little brother_."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Sasuke shouted at the darkness, screaming in pain as his eyes bled in a more dangerous rate, his blood turning black.

"_What's wrong? Is something keeping you here?_"

"I-I don't know," Sasuke admitted, gasping in pain as he felt as if his stomach being punctured by a thousand kunais, "I don't know, dammit!"

"_It's not something, it's someone. Is it Naruto? Or is it the girl?_"

"I told you I fucking don't know, dammit!" Sasuke writhed as a large snake came out of nowhere and curled itself around his aching body, threatening to squeeze the life out of him.

"_I am right, aren't I? Poor little brother. Doesn't know what he wants and truly needs. Why, pray tell, should you even want to stay in this world if you have no purpose? If you gave up your desire for revenge, then why stay at all? Didn't you want to die in the first place? Didn't you want to perish from this world than to live a normal and peaceful life in Konoha, the reason why I eliminated the whole Uchiha clan except for my precious brother? Then why, little brother, why would you want to stay?_"

"Shut up! I don't have a damn idea, okay! Just shut up and leave me alone!"

The snake that coiled around Sasuke's body tightened excessively, earning a large painful cry from the captive. Blood dribbled from his chapped lips, his eyes too bleary to see anything but the darkness. Itachi's sharingan eyes narrowed.

"_Very well. Let's see if you'll make up your mind if I slit the Hyuuga girl's throat, shall we?"_

To this, Sasuke's neck snapped up, his bleeding eyes burning with rage. But the snake that caged him prohibited him from moving any further, digging its sharp fangs into the Uchiha's skin. Sasuke couldn't do anything but helplessly cry out in pain and anger as poison slipped into his system.

"N-no… d-don't do anything to h-her."

"_Hm? Are you begging me not to do it? Let's see you beg harder."_

A blurry image of the kind-hearted Hyuuga heiress appeared several feet before the pained Uchiha, her expression showing obliviousness to the situation.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" she softly asked in her usual worried tone, her lavender-white eyes glinting despite the lack of light. Unknown to her, a dark shadow started forming behind her, its arms ready to capture the innocent captive.

"H-Hi-Hinata," Sasuke tried warning her, but only a pained whisper escaped his lips, "G-get out o-of here…"

"Sasuke-kun, w-what's wrong? Please tell me," Hinata replied, her brows furrowing deeper as the shadow starts growing larger and larger.

"H-Hinata…"

"_It's over, foolish brother."_

A pair of sharingan eyes flew open on the dark figure's head, and as quick as the speed of light, the dark shadow swiped its sharpened arm across Hinata's bare neck. Blood splattered excessively from the large smiling wound against the frail Hyuuga's pale skin. Her equally pale eyes now lost its light, rolling back in her head as she was swallowed whole by the dark shadow.

"S-s-Sasuke-k-kun… h-how c-c-ould y-you?..."

"No! HINATA!" Sasuke tried screaming, but his trembling voice came out nothing more than a small anguished sob. The snake that trapped him tightened even more, and Sasuke felt as if his lungs have given up and deflated. The poison injected into his system was slowly making its way to his heart, and he silently prayed that it will all be over soon.

"_It's too late, little brother_," Itachi's raspy voice echoed around him like closed walls.

"_It's over_."

"Sasuke-kun!"

A pair of dark onyx eyes flew up, just to meet with another pair in a lavender-white hue. Sasuke quickly sat up, feeling his sweat dripping from his forehead to his neck. The innocent (and perfectly unharmed) Hyuuga girl was kneeling beside his resting form, holding in one hand a soft blue handkerchief that seemed to be soaked with tears and sweat.

"W-what the-"

"You had a bad dream, Sasuke-kun," Hinata meekly said, her eyes filled with worry, "A very bad one it seems. W-would you mind t-telling me about it?"

The Uchiha slowly turned his head towards her, his expression betraying some sort of relief and sadness, much to Hinata's surprise.

"Y-you're alive…"

Hinata raised an eyebrow, "O-of course I am. W-why wouldn't I be? It's only training..."

Sasuke didn't reply. Instead, he took in his surroundings. They were in the training area in the forest, with nobody around but themselves. He slowly recalled that he promised to teach her to improve her stamina the other day, and he was fulfilling his promise that day. Then he remembered seeing his companion's very tired face, and despite her strong determination, he insisted that they both take a break to restore some of their chakra before starting again. He concluded that he must've fallen asleep during their break.

"S-Sasuke-kun?"

The lone Uchiha snapped out of his reverie and slowly turned to face the nervous girl who was apparently poking her fingers together.

"Um, w-would you, ah, l-like to t-t-talk about your d-dream? M-maybe, I c-could help take away y-your pain."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, increasing the Hyuuga's nervousness. Then he sighed, taking in fully that everything is alright. That she is alright.

"… After your training, we're going back to my place and eat some tomato salad for dinner. It's your turn to give Chii a bath."

And then, she just smiled.

Just a tiny, worried one, but still a comforting smile.

He knew that she knew. She knew that he was going to tell her soon, even when he currently brushed off her offer. He knew that his nightmares weren't just going to end there. Even with Itachi watching peacefully from the afterlife, he knew that his past nightmares of revenge on Itachi and the village were not some petty thing he could easily forget. But the dream did teach him something, something he realized that was of great importance to him.

Hinata was around. If she too disappeared, then his life would be a mess, again. She was with him through thick and thin when he tried adjusting back in Konoha, and as time flew by, he had never noticed of how much her comforting presence grew on him. And he was not willing to let her go like he did with Itachi. All the leftover pains that was imprinted on his head, he knew that she was willing to bear them with him.

And maybe, it's all worth enduring with her around.

...

* * *

Reviews are ALWAYS welcome! Wow, I never realized that ever since Chii the Uchiha Kitty's debut, he's been mentioned a lot since! As for the next chapter, it's going to be Hinata's turn to shine! Meaning, she's taking over most of the next chapter, and so will her father! So please look forward to it! ;)


	6. Freedom

**OPrincess ShinigamiO** here! First of all, I am so happy (and surprised) to see that you guys loved the last chapter! I suppose that I should be more confident about my drabbles, hehe. Anyway, I'm also glad to know that there are nearly 3000 views on my drabbles! *pat in the back* Though I did kinda hope that more of you would leave some reviews if the readers are that large, it still makes me giddy inside to know that my drabbles at least look interesting! So thank you very much! ;)

About this chapter, this time, it's Hinata's turn to take the spotlight. We're going to dive into her point of view and how she'll handle her father's growing suspicion. I'd like to show how much she's matured since the start of Shippuden, and I hope that I made the point clear in this chapter of how she's grown up. So please enjoy! ;)

And of course, I'd like to thank my lovely reviewers once again! Thank you _Serene-Aspiration723, Saki-hime, accentcore8, Trender, butterflyV, mariarassie, lala, ZoMg1010, and Kari Hitsugaya_! Finally, the guest reviewers are giving names for themselves! Though I wouldn't be able to personally give my thanks if you continue using anonymous/guest mode. But still, thank you! ;D

Disclaimer: Do you see SasuHina or NaruHina sucking face in the open? Huh? No? Then that means that I don't own! XD

* * *

_F-Freedom_

…

It was a beautiful summer morning when Hinata stepped out of her home.

The Hyuuga clan has been busy redecorating the compound for the year's annual celebration for the end of the great war against Madara Uchiha. Hinata offered to help the servants, but her father reprimanded her from doing so.

Despite stepping down to give the clan leader's role to Hanabi, the current clan leader still treated Hinata like an heiress-in-training.

Their family's relationship has been going well so far, each of them opening up a bit more during mealtimes instead of being so formal as if on a business meeting among strangers, especially Hanabi (there was never a time when Hanabi would excitedly recall her "exciting" missions with her new team, which consisted of Konohamaru aka the mini Naruto, much to Hiashi and Neji's chagrin). Hinata supposed that their opening up to each other might partly be the reason why her father's much more protective over his little girls, especially after knowing about Hinata's daily visits to the Uchiha compound and Hanabi's frequent "missions" with Konohamaru.

The former heiress knew that her father didn't exactly approve of her visits, especially since it concerns a certain avenger who used to be one of the most sought after rogue ninjas of Konoha if not the whole world. Neji wasn't helping one bit either, the latter always giving stabbing glares and merciless, spine-tingling threats to the Uchiha whenever they cross paths.

Hinata remembered the one time when she came home after some rough training with Sasuke. The Hyuuga prodigy didn't hesitate to stomp his way towards the Uchiha Manor with a bloody axe on his hand (how he even got his hands on one, Hinata will never know. It must've been a gift from Tenten. And maybe that was why she found a beheaded turkey in the kitchen. Was he actually trying to cook?). It took several comforting assurances from Hinata to stop her cousin from either chopping up or strangling the confused Uchiha's neck.

It was a fright at the time, but since it was in the past, Hinata couldn't help but giggle at her cousin's ridiculous paranoia and overprotectiveness.

Just as she was about to slip on her sandals, a gentle knock on the wooden sliding door caught her attention.

She turned in surprise to see her father standing behind her with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Are you going to visit Sasuke Uchiha again, Hinata?" he asked in his usual stern voice. Hinata shook her head, giving a tiny smile to her father.

"N-no, father. He's been assigned his first mission outside of Konoha with his old teammates. He won't be back until next week at least. I was just on my way to the hospital to work in place of Sakura's absence. I might be home late because of the extra work."

Hiashi stood silently as if he was some sort of living statue of a god, contemplating on his next move.

"Until when are you permanently relieved from your duties to the Uchiha, Hinata?"

Hiashi didn't miss the surprised look on his eldest daughter's face, and he somehow knew deep down what her answer would be.

"F-father?"

"What I'm questioning, my daughter, is whether you're visiting Sasuke Uchiha because it's still a task given to you by Hokage-sama, or because it's a duty you've permanently made for yourself."

A few happy chirps from the birds in the garden filled the empty air. The Hyuuga leader firmly observed his daughter's expression, seeing a mixture of fear, confusion, and exasperation etched on her innocent face. Finally, the former heiress sighed and tried to look unwaveringly at her stern father's eyes.

"Father, I-I know that you aren't fond of Sasuke-kun," she steeled herself even further, trying to stop herself from looking away from her father's scrutinizing eyes and poking her fingers in nervousness, "B-but he's a really good person once you get to know him. He's just a bit l-lost and confused b-because of his cruel past."

She paused after seeing her father's eyebrows slope downwards before quickly defending the former avenger.

"B-but now that he has the chance to start over, he's slowly coming into terms of what he's supposed to do! I-I'm merely c-concerned for his well-being! And I don't want to just stand there in the sidelines doing nothing while he suffers all alone!"

She stopped herself after realizing of her sudden outburst, and then gave a deep sigh. She dropped her lavender-white eyes from her father's gaze and into her twitching feet.

"I don't want to do nothing without helping him grow into the great person he's meant to become. There's a reason why I was assigned to take care of him, and I certainly won't waste any chances for as long as I can be by his side to aid him."

She looked back at her father, making sure that her words are sinking into her father's head before taking a deep breath and continuing.

"I'm no longer the heiress to our clan, father. But that doesn't change my loyalties. No matter what happens, you, Hanabi-chan, Neji-nii, and the rest of the Hyuuga members, you all are my family. My home. The one place I'll never forget even if a time comes when I must leave this place."

Hinata gave a soft smile, and nervously, she took one of her father's calloused hands to her own.

"I-I know that we haven't had one of the best father-daughter relationships in the past. Even now, we still have a lot to work on. But I want you to know that I'm happy now. You love me and finally accepted me as a strong and competent shinobi. That's all that matters to me. But you have to know that I'm not a frail little girl anymore. I'm not as weak and fragile as you thought me to be. I've grown up, father, and I believe that I now have the freedom to make my own choices, even if you'll disagree with me. I'm still on the road to learning more wisdom, and by making the decisions I made, it helps me grow into a much wiser adult. As my father, I know that your duty is to help set up my values, but it's inevitable that one day you'll have to set me free. Isn't that all part of life? Making mistakes and learning from them?"

Hiashi was silent all the while, slightly shocked at the wise words coming out of his daughter's lips. He knew that Hinata was a strong woman not only physically, but he never fully realized until now that she had already seriously contemplated on her future. And somehow, he felt fatherly pride surge into his chest. He gave a tiny hint of a smile and nodded. To this, Hinata gave a relieved smile.

"Father, helping Sasuke-kun as his friend is not a mistake. I know it, and deep in my heart, I feel that something good will come off it if I continue to stay with him. So please, don't question my purpose for visiting him, and don't blame him for anything that ever happens to me. And if you didn't know, he's also helping me in his own way. I just want to do everything I can to help and to prove that I'm some worth in this world."

Hiashi lifted a hand up, effectively stopping her as he firmly closed his eyes as if listening to the whispers of the summer breeze. Taking in a deep breath, he heaved a relaxed sigh and gazed at his daughter, somewhat seeing his late wife's kind yet strong-spirited image in her. He smiled as he noticed the great resemblance, then slowly lifted a hand to gently pat on his daughter's shoulder.

"Very well, Hinata. Do what you like. Besides, if Sasuke Uchiha can take care of a cat in his home without hurting it, no matter the nuisance it becomes, then I suppose I can trust him with my mature daughter."

He turned to leave, but not before giving her a proud smile and telling her softly of how much he's proud of what she's become.

To this, Hinata gave a surprised look at her father's retreating form. Then slowly, her pale lips curved into a soft smile.

"… Thank you, father."

Slipping on her sandals, she began her short journey to the hospital. She observed the bright blue sky, somehow reminded of the sky blue handkerchief that the Uchiha used so often before he left.

"... I wonder how Sasuke-kun's feeling. I do hope he's taking his cold pills..."

...

Meanwhile, in a tiny camp located somewhere in the forest, the last Uchiha sneezed while eating his dinner.

"Oi, teme! Catching a cold in the middle of a mission?" Naruto mumbled with his mouth full of ramen.

"Or maybe someone's talking about him back at home," Sakura joined in before scolding Naruto about talking with his mouth full.

Sasuke frowned at his eccentric teammates before plastering back his unaffected face while chewing on his fried fish.

"Don't be ridiculous. Honestly, the things you gullible people believe in…"

But IF it's true (Sasuke insists that it's 99.9% unreal), then he hoped that it was only Hinata spouting praises about him.

…

* * *

Reviews are always welcome, thank you! Spoilers for the next chapter, hm? Well, let's just say that a very "youthful" character will have something to do with it! ;)


	7. Green

**OPrincess ShinigamiO** here! Why? With a new chapter of course! And this one features our famously beloved "youthful", bushy-browed, green taijutsu ninja, Rock Lee! This will be the first of the "Friends' Point of View" edition in the drabbles, chapters that feature a certain character's thoughts on SasuHina's growing relationship. Well, Lee won't be going anywhere deep since he's practically just, well, "guessing" about SasuHina's relationship status. You might even say he's quite teasing in this chapter (maybe a bit OOC as well, but I do hope I did justice to his character), and it certainly won't go well with a certain teammate of his. Yes, Neji and Tenten are taking part as well, but not as big as Lee. They'll have their turns in future chapters. Oh, and of course, Chii the Uchiha Kitten won't go ignored as well! He's going to be sharing the spotlight with Lee in this chapter! So please enjoy this "youthful" chapter I made for you! See if you can count how many "green"s and "youth"s there are in this chapter, coz you'll be seeing a lot of them! XD

And of course, I'd like to thank my reviewers _butterflyV, Serene-Aspiration723, Hinata-Rae 7-3.15, Saki-Hime, mariarassie_, and the rest of the Guest reviewers! Glad to see that some people are still enjoying my drabbles! ;)

Disclaimer: Not a man? Don't know how to make my own manga? Don't memorize all the Naruto-verse jutsus? Not giving Rock Lee more screen-time that he deserves? Then I don't own! XD

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_G-Green_

…

"Remind me why we're letting this green freak take care of Chii?"

"Sasuke-kun!"

"Do not worry, Sasuke-kun, Hinata-san! Since Neji and Tenten are currently on a mission in the Tea Village without me and Gai-sensei is still recuperating from a twisted backbone in the hospital, I would gladly take very good care of Chii-kun for the next five youthful days! Yosh!"

The bushy-browed self-proclaimed "handsome devil of the Hidden Leaf Village" gave a confident fist pump, giving a bright pearly-white smile that could literally blind people if they look hard. Chii the Uchiha kitty, however, was napping like an angel in his other arm as if the green beast wasn't a bother at all.

The grumpy Uchiha had the exact opposite expression, not bothering to stop himself from rolling his eyes at the "youthful" and hideously dressed ninja. He inwardly reminded himself to burn every green clothes he owned after he comes back from the mission.

"Th-thank you, Lee-kun," Hinata genuinely smiled with her head slightly bowed, "I'm sure that you'll do a great job caring for Chii-kun. I'm sorry for asking you to do this though. My father is allergic to furry animals, you see, and you know that Kiba-kun and Shino-kun aren't very, um, … fond of cats."

"Do not worry, Neji's beautiful and blooming cousin!" Lee replied with a wink and thumbs-up (aka his Nice Guy pose), earning a deep scarlet blush from Hinata and a murderous glare from Sasuke, "I will not fail in my duties! If I did a job less than great, then I swear to you that I will do ten thousand pushups and five thousand laps around Konoha!"

"Then get ready to do it when we come back…" Sasuke muttered under his breath. Hinata gave an apologetic look to an unaffected Lee before frowning at Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun, be nice to Lee-kun. You should be grateful that he's giving up his time to care for Chii-kun."

"Tch, whatever. Just make sure that by the time we return, the cat won't be wearing that same hideous green suit. Or I seriously will burn everything green in my house."

"Sasuke-kun, you're not going to burn your whole backyard are you? Your tomatoes are still green you know."

"… "

The scowling Uchiha turned to leave without saying goodbye to Lee or his kitten. Hinata followed her companion after bowing to Lee for thanks and petting the sleeping Chii for the last time. Lee in turn excitedly waved at the Hyuuga, shouting out a few… well wishes for their mission. _("May the flames of youth enlighten your hearts from despair, my_ _friends!"_)It took a lot of willpower and Hinata's silent pleading for Sasuke not to march back and strangle the annoyingly positive green ninja and his stupid "youth" to nonexistence.

"Yosh! Let's get some training done, shall we Chii-kun?"

After seeing them off, the still grinning bushy-browed ninja turned and headed for his dojo with Chii sleeping peacefully in his arms.

"Ah, what a youthful and unexpectedly fitting pair! Their love will most definitely bloom into a great and uniquely beautiful flower that even the fountain of youth could not compare!"

The kitten merely mewled in what Lee interpreted as agreement. To this the green beast nodded and gave another fist pump, much to the passerby's confusion. _("Mommy! That weird-looking guy's punching the air! Is he killing the mosquitoes?" "Pay no attention, Keiko. That weird man does that everyday with his older twin.")_

As Rock Lee entered his dojo, he settled the little kitten on a dark green pillow before starting his daily warm ups. Just as he was doing his three hundredth pushup, a knock on the door reached his ears. The green ninja paused in a handstand, raising an abnormally thick eyebrow at the door just to see his beloved teammates waiting behind it. Immediately, the taijutsu expert grinned and tumbled back to his feet before jogging his way towards the couple.

"Hey Lee!" Tenten greeted with a jubilant grin. Neji simply nodded and gave a tiny smile.

"Tenten! Neji! Welcome back! You both look as youthful as you did since you both left a few weeks ago!" His bushy brows then gave a tiny dip, "But I thought you would not return for until another week."

"Well, turns out that the retrieval mission was easier than expected. We just arrived an hour ago." Neji replied.

"Yeah, and we were just about to have some lunch at the new barbeque place before visiting Gai-sensei in the hospital! Wanna come?" Tenten asked.

Lee grinned and gave another Nice Guy pose, his teeth glinting competitively against the sunlight.

"Of course, my youthful teammates! Let me just get Chii-kun!"

"Chii-kun?" Tenten raised an eyebrow and turned to Neji questionably. Neji, however, frowned at the mention of the Uchiha kitten.

"Uchiha's cat? What's it doing with you?"

The green-clad ninja jogged over to where Chii was still sleeping, picking him up swiftly from his green pillow before jogging back to his teammates. Tenten began cooing at the adorable kitten, much to Neji's annoyance. He honestly didn't understand the appeal the Uchiha kitten had that made Tenten and his cousins squeal.

"Sasuke-kun and Hinata-san gave me the most special task to take care of their precious little flower," Lee answered with another grin, not noticing Neji's glare when he called the kitten "their little flower".

"Hinata-sama has a mission?"

"Why yes! She and Sasuke-kun, as well as Naruto-kun and Shikamaru-kun are tasked to deliver some very confidential scrolls to the Lightning Village! They just left this morning as well!"

Neji growled under his breath, wishing that he had met up with them when they arrived just to give the Uchiha some "rules" when it comes to Hinata's safety.

Tenten knew that look on her teammate slash boyfriend's face, giving a deep sigh and shaking her head in exasperation.

"Geez, Neji. You should give Sasuke a bit more credit. So far, he's been treating Hinata real well, special even. And it's not like they're going to be alone, you know."

"Our team's only flower is right, Neji!" Lee added, not noticing Tenten cringe at his "petname" for her, "Why, before they left Chii-kun to me, Hinata-san kept holding Sasuke-kun's arm in comfort! I never knew that Sasuke-kun cared so much about his kitten-"

"She _WHAT_?"

Neji's ears were practically emitting smoke, according to Tenten. Neji never knew that his cousin was already brave enough to touch the Uchiha so intimately. He could just imagine the smug expression on his hated person's face.

Lee, however, continued to be oblivious to his teammate's anger, patting the still sleeping kitten in his arms. Whether he's doing it on purpose or not, Tenten couldn't really tell.

"At this rate, it looks like our lunch plan's not going through…" Tenten murmured to herself.

"Oh, Neji! You should have seen it!" Lee continued with a flashy grin, "The silent, understanding look they gave one another when they thought I wasn't looking, the tiny spark that felt nothing but comfort to them from the slightest brush of their hands, the strict parental way they instructed me for their tiny flower as if they were leaving their only precious child with me as its inexperienced babysitter. I could practically feel the beautiful flames of youthful love pouring out of them!"

From his rambling, the green ninja didn't realize that his prodigy of a teammate had already disappeared from the spot. Tenten, in turn, noticed her boyfriend's sudden disappearance and quickly began following him in case he actually catches up to them and began to Gentle Fist the Uchiha to death.

"Looks like lunch will have to wait! Catch you later, Lee! Neji, don't you dare-"

Lee stared at his retreating teammates' forms, a gust of wind blew softly as Tenten's shouts minimized from the distance.

"... Was it something I said?.."

Deciding to think nothing of it, Lee shrugged and placed the still sleeping Chii back to his green pillow (God, this kitten's lazy…). Then he patted the dust off his green jumpsuit and continued to do his warm ups, seeing that they won't be having lunch together after all. He then grinned at Chii, waggling his thick eyebrows like crawling centipedes after coming up with a conclusion.

"Neji must be too impatient to wait for Hinata-san and Sasuke-kun's return to congratulate them. I even noticed his face turning green for a moment there! Ah, my teammate is finally feeling the youthful flames from his cousin's love for Sasuke-kun! Am I right, Chii-kun?"

The kitten just yawned in reply before going back to its slumber.

…

* * *

Reviews are ALWAYS welcome, thank you! ;) And if you haven't noticed, I've given some hints as to help understand Chii's way of replying. If you really don't know, then I'd be glad to tell you if you're curious. As for the next chapter, let's just say that it's Sasuke's turn to surprise Hinata with a present. ;)


	8. Herbarium

**OPrincess ShinigamiO** here! Hello one and all! Glad to see that lots of people enjoyed Lee in the last chapter! I'm glad to see that I did justice to his character, so thank you for your support! And I'm also proud to say that my drabble has already reached over 5000 views! *Sob* I'm just so happy! *cough*

So about this chapter, expect very little communication. Hinata takes over most of the chapter, but Sasuke will appear, no worries. In fact, it's his turn to give Hinata a sweet surprise, and I think you could guess from the title if you haven't noticed! XD Expect some OOC mostly in Sasuke's part, but oh well! He's a sweetie deep down anyway! ;)

Of course, my beloved reviewers! I can't go on without mentioning these awesome readers who took their time reviewing for me! Thank you _Jeabird, Saki-Hime, StarDustX, mariarassie, ZoMg1010, Serene-Aspiration723, Hinata-Rae 7-3.15_, and the other Guest reviewers! Glad to still have your support! ;)

Disclaimer: Why do I even bother?...

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_H- Herbarium_

…

Hinata Hyuuga was confused.

It's been two whole months since she last saw Sasuke Uchiha. Three months ago, Tsunade informed Hinata and her teammates Kiba and Shino, that Suna's Kazekage, Sabaku no Gaara, was currently looking for the perfect bride from the Hidden Leaf in order to increase the trust and alliance between the Fire and Sand Nations.

Well, in all honesty, it was Temari and Kankuro's idea to find someone who's willing to hook up with their lonely little brother, who was unfortunately (or fortunately?) still single at the age of eighteen. Temari has been going back and forth between the Leaf and Suna more often because of a certain lazy shadow-jutsu expert (and if the rumors from Ino were true, then it won't be far off when a traditional Nara ring would be sitting on Temari's finger soon), and Kankuro who was more of the party animal between the three siblings has finally gotten serious with a mystery girl in Suna, leaving poor Gaara alone at his office with no one but paperwork as his only companion.

It's not that no one liked the Kazekage. On the contrary, there were several women, old and young alike, who would desperately pine over the handsome and reserved Kazekage, whether they're from Suna or not. Why, he even had his own giant fan club in the Sand Villages! It's too bad for them, since his siblings were looking for someone more prestigious, refined, and FOREIGN.

The reason why Tsunade called Team 8 was because one of the bride requests from the Suna council was the former Hyuuga heiress, Hinata Hyuuga. Because Hinata no longer needed to take the biggest responsibility of leading the Hyuuga clan which therefore made it easier for Hinata to switch her loyalties through marriage, it made sense for a former heiress who was beautiful, well-mannered, and coincidentally single to become eligible for Suna's most sought-after bachelor.

Of course, Hinata was beyond shocked. But luckily, she wasn't the type to make a raging outburst unlike one of her teammates (Kiba was in a great fit and almost got a free ticket to the hospital if it weren't for Shino controlling him)

In all her life, Hinata has never imagined herself to become the young Kazekage's lover, what more his wife. And she suspects that he doesn't even remember who she is since the Chuunin exams almost six years ago.

The former heiress refused right away, much to the fifth Hokage's expectation. Therefore, Team 8 was instead sent to escort another princess from a less known but still ancient clan of the Hidden Leaf in place of Hinata. But before doing so, the Hokage and Hiashi Hyuuga had to finish some paperwork in order to convince and appease the Suna Council into reconsidering the young princess instead of the former Hyuuga heiress. This took up a whole month, and it wasn't long before someone leaked rumors about the Kazekage and the former Hyuuga heiress' claimed engagement in Konoha.

Of course, the last Uchiha was no exception. He wasn't one who believed or much less cared about rumors. But somehow, this one was different. And for some reason, this made his stomach sick.

Since then, he avoided Hinata as much as he could. He busied himself with several missions outside of Konoha, and when he did take some time to rest, Hinata would find that he wasn't home. Even Naruto and Sakura didn't know where to locate the Uchiha when they aren't on a mission, but what made Hinata sadder was when Kakashi told her that he's been sulking a lot more than usual when they're on breaks. The only curious thing that the sharingan-wielding sensei also mentioned was that the Uchiha has been randomly asking him about his knowledge on plants. Hinata thought that if Sasuke has finally found interest in herbs like her, then why couldn't he straight-out ask her instead? But she eventually forgot about it since it seemed that Sasuke was still avoiding her, much to her chagrin.

This continued on until the next month and a half when the Suna Council finally agreed to take the princess. Team 8 escorted the Kazekage's possible bride to Suna, which took almost a whole week. Their whole stay in Suna took another three days due to the Sand Siblings' insistence.

To this, Hinata and Gaara finally met each other properly, exchanging apologies about their cancelled engagement, and had their first friendly conversation, mostly about Naruto's current doings and progression on reaching his goal. Gaara even joked that he would probably grow old already if Naruto wasn't progressing fast enough to finally become Hokage!

("_Wow, so Gaara can joke around, huh? And to think he was like some emotionless killing machine six years ago…_" Kiba cautiously whispered to Shino with Akamaru whimpering in agreement. It wasn't long though before the Inuzuka earned a huge bump on his head thanks to Temari's giant fan.)

Another week was taken during their trip back from Suna to Konoha, with an additional two days since they were ambushed by some bandit ninjas.

They came home safely, though not unharmed. A day was spent in the hospital to recuperate their wounds. The day after, they were released and allowed to go back to their homes.

To this, Hinata took another chance to see if Sasuke was home, but the results were still in vain.

Crestfallen, the former heiress trudged (as graceful as a Hyuuga goes) back to the Hyuuga Compound, saddened by Sasuke's apparent ignorance of her presence.

She nodded at the Hyuuga guards and the servants in the front yard when she entered. She then headed afterwards to her father's office to announce her return (she could've sworn that her father was looking quite amused). Then after leaving and seeing no one in the halls to greet her, she concluded that Neji was either on a mission or on a date with Tenten or his team, since he was usually the first to welcome Hinata by the time she entered the compound.

Hanabi, however, greeted Hinata with a suspiciously sly grin. She then began dragging her to Hinata's room, blabbing about how lucky her older sister was for having a handsome guy decorate her own room. To this, Hinata began walking faster, curious if maybe, just maybe, a certain Uchiha had something to do with it.

As Hinata entered her room, she had the biggest surprise waiting for her.

On every angle of her bedroom walls, several pieces of colorful preserved leaves and flowers flattened in sheets of clear paper decorated her whole room, not leaving one space for the wall to breathe. They varied from red and brown maple leaves to pink and purple flowers and twigs. Even the ceiling was concealed in gradient-colored leaves and branches, and the light coming from the windows made them look even more enchanting.

It was like having a real magical rainbow garden that she thought would only exist in her fairy tale books!

Hinata stared in awe at her beautiful bedroom, then turned to ask Hanabi who planned it all, only to see that she has disappeared and that the very special Uchiha of whom she wanted to see the most was standing there with a tiny proud smirk on his face.

And what's even more surprising was that a book of what seems like a herbarium instruction manual, and a single yellow tulip sat on the Uchiha's arm.

"I figured that I had to return the favor for the tomato garden you gave me," Sasuke began, handing the book and the tulip to the shocked Hyuuga, "And to celebrate the cancellation of your supposed engagement with Gaara."

"Gaara-kun and I were never engaged to begin with," Hinata giggled as she playfully twisted the yellow tulip before smelling its light fragrance, "But thank you very much, Sasuke-kun. You have no idea how h-happy this makes me feel."

To add to her surprise, the Uchiha suddenly caught her arm and slowly pulled her close to him. She stiffly dropped her new book to the ground. Her lavender-white eyes widened as she made contact with his hard chest, blushing hard like a real tomato when she caught the tantalizing scent of her companion. She froze in his arms, completely shocked at Sasuke's uncharacteristic boldness and affection. She could feel his breath warming her neck as her heart pounded dangerously against his chest.

"… Don't make me say this ever again, Hinata," he whispered tensely, "Because I've never told anyone, and you will only hear this from me this once."

Hinata could feel her breathing hitch. Her heart that was already pounding like crazy even pounded faster if possible. She could feel her blood rush on her face, and she swore that if anyone saw her right now, they'd mistake her for a human torch.

She was embarrassed, yes, but she couldn't find it in herself to faint. It's been a while since she last fainted, which was a huge improvement in her part. But now, she swore that her legs were starting to feel like jelly, ready to break down anytime soon.

"Please don't scare me again."

Hinata frowned. How in the world was she scaring him? Of all people, Hinata was probably the last person in the world who could scare Sasuke Uchiha. But to her surprise, he told her otherwise. And it made her feel incredibly guilty yet giddy at the same time.

But his voice pleaded her to understand, and she did. She suddenly remembered why he created a garden in her room, and why he avoided her in the first place. She understood, that maybe, just maybe, he did felt affection towards her, whether it's temporary or not.

And that was enough for now.

Slowly and shyly, she wrapped her shaking arms around Sasuke's back, the yellow tulip on one hand and the book forgotten on the floor. She giggled when she felt the tension wear off Sasuke as she returned his affectionate gesture.

"… Never again."

...

* * *

Reviews are ALWAYS welcome, thank you once again! By the way, can you guess the meaning of the yellow tulip? ;)

As for the next chapter, I'm sure you'd love to know what Konoha's favorite gossip girl has got to say on SasuHina! XD


	9. Innocent

**OPrincess ShinigamiO** here! Bursting with happiness and spreading joy by posting extra early because of the amount of reviewers who made it a point to review for last week's chapter! I couldn't believe that I actually received about twelve reviews in just one day! That's more than the usual reviews I receive, and it makes me absolutely happy! So I want to start by thanking my oh-so-awesome reviewers _mariarassie, butteflyV, NanamiYatsumaki, Saihei, kai-itachi1, ZoMg1010, Guest.t, Jeabird, Serene-Aspiration723, blablabla, Trender, Saki-hime, Tata, XpurplegurlX_, and the rest of the Guest reviewers! You guys made me feel absolutely incredible! ;D_  
_

*Ahem* But before I talk about this chapter, I'd like to answer some questions from last chapter's reviewers. Someone wanted Matsuri, Gaara's student, to end up with Gaara instead of the princess that was one of the potential brides for him. Though I won't and will probably never focus on Gaara's love life in this drabble for obvious reasons, I want to make clear that Gaara will NOT end up with the princess he's arranged to marry with, nor will his student even appear in this drabble (though she may be mentioned). The princess was only a POTENTIAL bride, and the reason she existed in the first place is just so SasuHina's relationship could go further. Not to worry, Gaara fans! He will end up with someone, but not with the princess nor his student. I'm honestly not too fond of Matsuri, and if you check out my profile, you might have a clue of who he MIGHT end up with. Don't say that you'll be surprised! And whether you guys agree to it or not, I don't care because it's my story, and because they're not the main focus but SasuHina.

Now, about the chapter, it's Ino's turn to take over the "Friends' Point of View" edition! There'll only be very little fluff in SasuHina's part, but the focus of this chapter is Ino's take on their relationship anyway. And I'd also want to make clear that while Sasuke and Hinata are spending a lot of time together, they rarely go out in public together alone, mostly because Sasuke hates going out. So don't be surprised if anyone would be surprised seeing them together. Don't worry, SasuHina will have plenty of fluff on the next chapters! ;)

Oh, and the yellow tulip? You'll find out in this story! ;)

Disclaimer: ... Seriously? Do I LOOK like Kishimoto to you?

* * *

_I- INnOcent_

…

It was early one morning when a blonde and blue-eyed Yamanaka wandered around the marketplace. The sun wasn't quite up yet, and the streets were nearly bare save for some very early-morning birds (like Gai and Lee doing their daily daybreak handstand laps around people's roofs).

The blonde gossip, however, was not a morning person even after her busy hospital schedules in the mornings, and therefore was quite grouchy when she walked towards the fresh corner of the marketplace.

"Get a grip, Ino," she muttered to herself, "It's for the surprise picnic for Choji right? You wouldn't want him to be disappointed would you? Poor Choji must be too tired from his month-long mission. The least you could do is cheer him up with some good food."

This motivated her a little further. Her "big-boned" teammate was due to return anytime that day according to his letter, and since it was coincidentally their first anniversary as a couple, she wanted to surprise her boyfriend by showing off her skillful cooking abilities.

Unfortunately, she was too busy to go buy the ingredients yesterday because of hospital duties, and she needed her ingredients to be fresh as well (she's making her special, healthy, and very NONFAT salad, after all. She made sure to put only tiny pieces of meat in her picnic menu, and if Choji really wanted their relationship to go on, then he would have to listen to what she says and start eating healthy foods.)

It was a good thing that the marketplace opens pretty early during the weekends. It helps when people have more free time to busy up the place later on during the late morning and noon.

The ladies in the vegetables section were just opening up when Ino arrived.

"Why, Yamanaka-san, you're very early today!" a middle-aged lady, Mimi, greeted the young blonde.

"Good morning, Mimi-san!" Ino chirped, swinging the empty basket in her arms, "I just needed to get some veggies for a picnic today. I wasn't able to buy some yesterday because of some crazy patients in the hospital."

"Oh, that's fine, Yamanaka-san! Besides, vegetables are much healthier and better tasting when they're fresh. So, what will they be?"

"Hmm…" Ino tapped a finger on her chin, "I'll need some red leaf lettuce and carrots and peppers and onions and broccolis and maybe some spinach. Oh, and tomatoes as well!"

"Alright," Mimi replied as she began searching for the named ingredients in her cart, "I'll give you a free cucumber as well for being such a loyal customer! Anything else, Yamanaka-san?"

"Oh, thanks Mimi-san! Hmm, I guess that's it."

The blonde smiled and thanked Mimi again as she paid for her vegetables. After receiving her ingredients, she sighed and decided to head for the meat section after much thought. It's the least she could do if Choji really wasn't happy with her salad. But he won't be getting any if the salad wasn't in his stomach first.

After picking up a pack of fresh chicken chops, Ino paused, then slapped her head lightly.

"Darn! The anchovies! I totally forgot that he loves munching on them. Gross. I better ask some from Mimi-san."

The blonde medic turned her heel and headed back to the vegetables section. Little did she realize that she was about to encounter the main topics of her greatest gossip that day.

She was walking back to Mimi's stall, swinging lightly her filled up basket in one side when she saw _them_.

_Them_, meaning Sasuke Uchiha and Hinata Hyuuga.

The last existing Uchiha and the former Hyuuga heiress.

The former avenger and the loyal princess.

The dark, brooding hottie and the shy, innocent sweetie.

Sasuke Uchiha and Hinata Hyuuga.

Together.

In public. More specifically, the market.

It was a strange sight to see the blonde eighteen-year-old drop her groceries, with bright blue eyes widening the size of saucers, and her mouth shaped like a capital 'O'. But it was also strange that it took just one second for her to pick up her belongings before swiftly ducking behind the stall nearest to her.

The roasted pig stall.

Sakura would've surely laughed like a madman if she saw her on the spot, but it didn't matter right now for her blonde best frenemy.

Konoha's infamous gossip girl has just found her latest victims.

"What the heck? Sasuke-kun and Hinata-chan? Buying groceries TOGETHER? I know that they've been spending some time together since it's Hinata's job to watch Sasuke-kun, but hanging out early in the morning is kinda suspicious! I rarely see them together when they're on missions or just plain walking around with Naruto and Billboard-head, what more seeing them alone together in the market place!" Ino thought excitedly to herself, ignoring the frowning owner of the pig stall she's hiding at.

"Come to think of it, Keiko did tell me that Sasuke-kun bought a yellow tulip from our shop a month ago! And a bunch of other plants as well! Darn it! I knew that I shouldn't have skipped work that day!" Ino paused in her musing, her eyes widening after a realization. "Does that mean that he's HOPELESSLY IN LOVE with Hinata-chan? You lucky girl! Who would've thought you had it in you, Hinata-chan? I'm actually kinda jealous..."

The blonde gossip watched stealthily as the Uchiha and his Hyuuga companion headed towards the very same vegetable station where she just went ten minutes ago. She noticed her shy friend clutching a basket similar to hers with both hands. The Hyuuga was walking a few inches in front of the Uchiha, who was as usual, sporting a nonchalant expression on his handsome face. It's funny to see Sasuke completely comfortable with anyone else aside from his teammates. It's even funnier to see Hinata look completely calm when she's with someone else other than her teammates, what more the former threat of Konoha.

"Let's see what you two are here for!" Ino whispered excitedly to herself, suppressing the grin that threatened to spread.

"Excuse me, young lady! But this is-"

"SHHHHH!" Ino shushed the pig stall lady before concentrating back at her victims, earning a huff from the latter.

The oblivious pair had just reached the vegetables section. Mimi greeted the pair with a smile, as if they're one of her best customers. Ino supposed that it wasn't a surprise if it was Hinata, but Sasuke? No wonder they rarely see him going out to buy groceries! He does it on an ungodly time in the morning!

Ino snickered to herself. Now she knows one of Sasuke's secrets. Just wait till she tells her pink-haired frenemy! If she still held onto her long-time crush, then she would be "accidentally" bumping into the impossibly attractive Uchiha early every Saturday morning at the marketplace.

Ino continued observing as Hinata happily greeted back before telling Mimi what she wanted to buy. The Uchiha just grunted and let Hinata do her thing.

Ino couldn't hear properly, but it was already too risky to move into a nearer stall just to hear properly. If her repressed chakra didn't give her away, then being caught sneaking around from one stall to another would get her caught for sure. But at least she could hear some parts of their conversation.

The blonde medic noticed that while Mimi searched for the requested vegetable, Hinata started making conversation with her companion. Ino leaned closer, hearing only little bits of the slightly hushed conversation.

"… living with you… Father wouldn't allow it… Neji-nii doesn't like…"

At this point, Ino was already trying to fill in the blanks and arranging the mysterious puzzle that is their conversation. She gasped as her brain started coming up with the most rational solution.

"Oh…. My….. GOD! HINATA PLANNED ON MOVING IN WITH SASUKE?" she thought excitedly to her shocked self.

She quickly snapped herself out of her reverie as she noticed Sasuke grunting annoyingly before opening his sexy lips to reply.

"…. Is stupid…. Can't agree for once? ... I'm not giving up…. going to find some way until…"

At this point, Ino's mind blanked out as she calculated what their conversation meant. She froze as she digested the information completely before slowly standing up and stealthily tiptoed away with a grin that would put the Joker to shame.

"Choji can survive without the anchovies. Just wait till I tell them about Sasuke-kun and Hinata-chan planning to live together!"

As the blonde gossip dashed off to spread the latest juicy news, the oblivious victims of the gossip received their tomatoes from Mimi. After thanking the stall owner, they began heading out of the market and back to the Uchiha compound.

"It can't be helped, Sasuke-kun," Hinata sighed as she lightly swung the basket of tomatoes in front of her, "You know that my father is allergic to Chii-kun. And Neji especially isn't fond of it because Chii-kun belongs to you. If you won't let Lee-kun take care of it again, then you'll have to find someone else to do it."

"Tch, as if I'm letting that green beast handle Chii again," Sasuke muttered, "I've warned him from dressing up the cat with his hideous green suits, but he still went and did it. No Uchiha is allowed to wear those monstrously cursed inventions. I'm not giving up till I find someone other than him or my idiot teammate who isn't allergic to cats and who would allow Uchiha cats into their household."

"That's going to be difficult since a lot of them are busy," Hinata sighed again, suddenly perking up after a few seconds of thinking.

"I wonder if Ino-san could do it. I heard that she's taking a break from hospital duties this week."

Sasuke frowned at the mention of one of his most annoying fan girls. But aside from her being annoying, he had to admit that she's a better and saner choice than Naruto or Lee. Over the years, she became much more responsible, and she already has a boyfriend anyway. She'll surely take Chii if she were asked to.

Just as Sasuke was about to reply, a pair of civilians passed them by, chattering softly while giving the oblivious pair suspicious looks.

"Do you think it's true? The Uchiha asked Hyuuga to move in with him?"

"They are together now, aren't they? I think Ino might be right this time. She wasn't lying when she said that her teammate and the Kazekage's sister were getting engaged, after all."

"W-ell, they are kinda cute..."

As the chattering pair walked off, the Uchiha and Hyuuga, of whom were now the latest victims of Ino's gossip, froze after they heard what the couple said.

Hinata was blushing furiously, nervously staring at the ground. She knew that Ino was at the marketplace earlier, judging by the chakra she felt at a distance, but she wasn't able to spot her.

Sasuke, on the other hand, frowned darkly at the retreating civilians, planning in his head several ways to painfully rip a certain blonde's throat. He _was_ planning to ask Hinata to move in with him eventually, that is, after he made their relationship official. But now that the gossip's spread, it's going to be much more difficult in his case, much to his frustration. No doubt, Neji would be coming for his neck soon.

Growling, the Uchiha quickly took the frozen Hyuuga's hands and basket of tomatoes, leading her towards the Uchiha Compound before anyone else spots and questions them even further.

"… We are definitely not asking her."

...

* * *

Reviews are ALWAYS welcome once again! The next chapter? Sasuke will be teaching Hinata one of things he's good at, but it's not going to make her a better ninja! ;)


	10. Jerk

__**OPrincess ShinigamiO** here! And yes, I know that I posted a bit later than usual! I've been busy with some stuff, aside from wallowing myself in disdain while the Narutards in Japan are currently enjoying the premiere of Road to Ninja (I heard that pimpin' Sasuke and bitch Hinata didn't interact face on... dammit! That was one of the reasons why I was looking forward for the movie in the first place! DX) And to be honest, this chapter wasn't very easy to make. I said it would be fun, but it took a long time for me to get the details together. Nevertheless, I've finished it and finally, posted it! This chapter's the longest one that I've ever made in this drabble, and it has a mixture of light-hearted fluff (as promised!), some comedy, and a tiny pinch of angst. So, please enjoy it! ;)

Also I'd like to thank my wonderful reviewers who inspire me and took their time to post their comments on the last chapter! Thank you _NanamiYatsumaki, kai-itachi21, nuriiko, Francis, KittySaysRAWR, supremekikay24, FlameOfAFriend94, XpurplegurlX, Jeabird, ColorfulShippersUnite, buttervlyV, Serene-Aspiration723, Saki-Hime_, and the Guest reviewer! I'm glad that you guys enjoyed my Ino-centric chapter, and I hope that you'll enjoy this one! ;D

Disclaimer: ... FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING HOLY, I DO NOT OWN THIS AWESOME MANGA!

* * *

_J-Jerk_

…

Sasuke Uchiha was shocked, no, beyond shocked when _the_ Hinata Hyuuga asked him for one measly yet unexpected favor.

He and the Hyuuga were in his home, peacefully reading some ancient scrolls and sipping chamomile tea when Hinata suddenly asked him something that nearly made him choke on his tea.

"… Excuse me?"

"W-w-well…" Hinata refused to look at him, her face and neck burning like fire and her fingers unconsciously poking each other, "I-I w-w-was w-wondering i-if, well, y-you could t-teach me how t-to act like a, er, like a … jerk."

Sasuke didn't know whether he should be insulted or amused. But it must be serious, because Hinata never really stutters anymore unless she's totally in an embarrassing yet serious situation.

Sasuke frowned, his onyx eyes scrutinizing the nervous Hyuuga.

"And you're asking me why?"

Hinata flinched at his hard tone. If she were given a chance to run away and hide in a rabbit hole of no return, she would do it in mere seconds. Unfortunately, Tsunade just gave her a seduction mission an hour ago, which requires Hinata to act like a snobbish enticer.

Usually, Tsunade would never even think of giving this type of missions to Hinata, obviously because of her shy and conservative personality and also the fact that because she's a Hyuuga, it was somewhat disgraceful to do these kinds of missions.

But the number of kunoichi at the time were especially scarce, and the mission had to be done in two days. There was also the fact that their target was especially attracted to unique beauties with long dark-hair, porcelain white skin, and strange colored eyes.

The picture definitely fits Hinata perfectly. Problem is that the target has a large fetish for women who play hard to get. And though Hinata is quite a hard catch, it wasn't because she was inconsiderate in nature.

It's her innocence that pulls men to her.

At least, that's one of her traits that attracted Sasuke.

"W-well, I-I asked N-Naruto-kun if h-he knew anyone who knew h-how to act, well, rude. A-and, um, he pointed me to you…"

"That's not what I meant, Hinata." Sasuke sighed in frustration while rubbing his pale cheek, "I'm asking why you need someone to teach you to be a… jerk."

Hinata gulped. She knew that if she told the Uchiha her reasons, he'd be absolutely invigorated and would refuse to help her. He'd probably even demand Tsunade not to give her this mission.

In all honesty, she knew that her relationship with Sasuke was beyond mere friendship. She wasn't stupid not to know how special Sasuke treats her compared to the others, but she was still unsure. They've never really addressed it out loud, so she was confused with where their relationship was standing.

She had contemplated earlier whether she should tell Sasuke about the seduction mission or not, seeing that even though they weren't exactly a couple, he still had the right to know what she's doing.

But she knew the consequences of what might happen afterwards, and it might be worse than what she imagined.

It's not like the mission's that dangerous though. Shino, Kakashi, and Naruto will accompany her. All she had to do was play hard to get and entice the target with her rudeness into telling her where the stolen scrolls for the weapons' dealer were kept. The target was reported to be extremely gullible anyway, so she shouldn't be having a hard time if she got into the right act.

Meanwhile, the Uchiha observed his tittering companion, his curiosity shooting up more than ever. Whatever her situation was, it must be totally serious if she hasn't backed down from her favor yet.

Mighty suspicious, but very amusing.

This might actually be very entertaining to watch. Whatever the reason, he could always pound the answer out from Naruto or her teammates, since she asked him first. Besides, a jerky, hard-to-get version of Hinata might actually be sexy.

A definite turn-on as long as it was temporary.

Sasuke supposed that that was enough reason to give Hinata what she asked for.

For now.

"Alright, first thing's first." Sasuke stood up from his living room couch, "If you're that desperate to learn, then I won't hold back."

...

_Rule #1: Ignore your friends no matter what they say or do_

"Hinata!"

The former Hyuuga heiress flinched. Sasuke has told her to ignore her friends that morning, no matter how hard it may be for Hinata's case. It was to show that they weren't worth her time and effort to entertain.

They did their practice earlier by making Hinata ignore Sasuke after he agreed, no matter how annoying or seductive Sasuke began to act.

_(Flashback)_

"_Hinata…"_

_The Uchiha was leaning closer and closer to the surprised Hyuuga, his face merely inches away from hers. Just right after Sasuke told her to start ignoring him, he immediately gone for the offense. Hinata's eyes widened, as she could feel his warm breath fogging her cheek. Nevertheless, she tried looking away, shutting her eyes and pursing her lips into a firm straight line. Even when she tried scuffling away, the amused Uchiha quickly followed her, leaning even closer until he trapped her on the corner of his couch with both his arms on either side to prevent her from escape. His surprisingly soft lips were practically nuzzling her right ear as if he was teasing her with butterfly kisses. The former heiress was beyond ready to explode in embarrassment and excitement, her extremely red face and neck almost feeling like firecrackers. When he suddenly pressed a chaste kiss on her soft tomato-red cheek, Hinata finally squeaked and blanked out as if her soul left her body. Sasuke smirked proudly as he pulled away from the limp Hyuuga._

"_This might actually be fun."_

This was her first test to see if Sasuke's lessons pulled off and if she actually had any hope at all to act hard to get. Goodness, she couldn't even keep her blush down after remembering their "practice".

Kiba was jogging towards her with Akamaru right behind him. Hinata took a deep breath and silently apologized to Kiba.

"Hinata! There you are! I was going to invite you to that new café that opened near Ichiraku's. It's been awhile since-"

Suddenly, a raised hand stopped Kiba from speaking any further, surprising the latter. The Hyuuga was looking away, trying to keep her blush down. Her lips were pursed into a thin line, as if she was trying not to cry or give an outburst.

"H-Hinata? W-what the-"

Without another word, the former heiress immediately ran away from the scene, leaving a trail of smoke and a very confused Kiba and Akamaru.

"H-H-Hinata?"

Sasuke, who was observing by the sidelines, gave a tiny smirk at the scene.

"Well, I suppose that's a start."

…

_Rule #2: Give a rude remark even when your friends don't ask for your opinion_

"-And so Choji went absolutely ballistic after Sai called him fat again."

"Typical Sai. When will he ever learn?..."

Ino and Sakura were in the shopping outlets when they spotted Hinata in the botany corner and invited her to join their shopping spree.

It was Sasuke who told Hinata to stay in the outlet in case any of her friends happened to be shopping. It was the perfect opportunity to practice Sasuke's jerk lessons.

_(Flashback)_

"_Just do it, Hinata."_

_Hinata gulped in fear._

_After coming back to life, Sasuke wasted no second into telling her her next task: to give an insulting punchline._

"_B-but I d-don't know any p-punchlines!"_

_Sasuke sighed, rubbing the back of his head in thought._

"_Just tell me something insulting. Like, call me a rude name. Or to make things easier, tell me straightforward what you hate about me."_

_Hinata's eyes widened._

"_B-but, I don't hate you…"_

_To this, Sasuke turned away from her as his lips slowly went upwards. On the inside, he was bursting with happiness after Hinata told him that she bears no ill feeling towards him. It made him feel incredible (he won't ever use the word "giddy" to describe his feelings) and relieved to know that she forgave him for all the wrongdoings he has done in the past._

_After straightening up his face back into his nonchalant expression, he turned back at the scared Hyuuga._

"_I'm not saying that you hate me. I'm telling you to just say something that you dislike about me. Like a bad habit that affects you, for example."_

_Hinata poked her fingers together, racking up her brain to think of anything bad enough to say._

"_Um… I dislike your bluntness?"_

"_Not good enough. Be more detailed. For example, Naruto is a dobe who only thinks nothing but ramen and because of his stupidity is most probably the last person who would ever become Hokage."_

_Hinata raised an eyebrow is disapproval, but nodded and began thinking deeper._

_Sasuke began tapping his fingers lightly at the coffee table in front of the couch, waiting for his companion to think of something good. Or bad._

_Hinata snapped her head up after finally coming up with her words, turning to the Uchiha nervously._

"_I thought you were the cruelest person on earth for betraying Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan. I hate the fact that you betrayed their trust for the sake of revenge. I hate that you took your friendships for granted just because of your selfishness. I think you were stupid to even think of trying to destroy Konoha when you knew that there'd be no one else to return to if it went your way. I hate that you've been alone and suffering in the inside when you have friends to share your pain with. I hate … the fact that you and I weren't personally close before you left Konoha. I would've tried to hold you back from leaving, though I doubt that I would've succeeded because of your stubbornness. I hate your selfishness and ego. But most of all, I hate that you have no idea of how much you scare me. Because I might not be enough to save you from rotting in hell the next time you give into your stupid anger."_

_The Hyuuga squeezed her eyes shut, mumbling quick apologies for saying such things in front of the Uchiha. It might've hurt him and reminded him that the people close to him would never forget his past mistakes, even when they already forgave him._

_But to her surprise, she opened her eyes and saw Sasuke's face just inches away from hers. His onyx eyes reflected against her bright lavender-white ones, betraying hints of guilt and sadness. At the same time, his eyes glinted with pride and amusement._

_Sasuke gave a tiny smirk at the flustered Hyuuga._

"_You're a fast learner, Hinata. But next time, don't give such a long speech. Instead of insulting them, it might bore them to sleep. Try to be more blunt like me. That's how being a jerk works."_

"I know right?" Ino sighed, shaking her head while adjusting the several shopping bags on both arms, "I mean, I can't believe I used to have a tiny crush on him."

"Well, I can't really blame you." Sakura replied, "He does kinda look like Sasuke-kun, after all."

"Yeah, but at least Sasuke-kun has the brains to not insult Choji."

"He probably just didn't want to bother."

"I-I think b-b-both Choji-kun and Sai-kun are r-ridiculous."

The blonde and pink-haired kunoichis froze. Slowly, they turned to stare incredulously at the timid Hyuuga beside them. Hinata, on the other hand, was punishing herself silently for saying such a thing. But she had to do this to pass her second jerk test.

"…W-what?"

"I-I-I think…" Hinata paused, silently praying for forgiveness and then took a deep breath before firmly looking at both her good girl friends, "… I think Choji-kun should get over the fact that he's really fat because he does have an appetite of a hundred pigs!" she pauses again and takes another gallon of breath and bravery, "… And Sai has a really dirty mind and I think he should stop being such a stupid dick!"

Nobody spoke for what seemed like an eternity.

The blonde gossip unconsciously dropped her shopping bags as well as her jaw, while the pink medic's green eyes widened so much that it took over half of her giant forehead.

Taking this as an opportunity to escape, Hinata quickly mumbled an apology and disappeared into another trail of smoke.

The two medics stared incredulously at the empty spot where Hinata used to stand.

"… I think I need to stop spending so much time in the hospital."

"No kidding, Billboard-head. I think I need to stop smelling flowers when I'm bored."

…

_Rule #3: Straight-out refuse invitations by acting all high and mighty._

Hinata fiddled with the hem of her jacket. This was the last jerk lesson Sasuke bestowed upon her, and it was time to test whether she really has the capability to act like a full-fledged jerk.

Even Sasuke was walking alongside her to see the results of his "training".

Now the only thing missing was her last test victim.

"HINATA! SASUKE-TEME!"

Scratch that. Now they found their victim.

And no one else would be more fitting than the loud orange ninja, Naruto Uzumaki, himself.

Hinata yelped as she saw the blonde ninja heading their way. Though she continued to admire Naruto, her feelings for him have lessened after she was rejected a year ago after the war. She knew that Naruto never meant to hurt her and that he had tried his best to love Hinata the way she did to him. It didn't exactly have anything to do with Sakura, the current object of his affections (or at least she still thinks so). Naruto really did try his best to find it within himself to love Hinata romantically.

But it just wasn't meant to be, and Hinata understood that. She was just glad that Naruto was being honest, or they might not have ended up happily in the future.

But despite that, it was still not unusual for her to stutter or blush around him. It must've turned into a reflexive habit, since she did admire Naruto for a very long time.

"There you two are! I've been looking all over for you two!" Naruto then began to waggle his eyebrows slyly, "I hope I'm not interrupting your date, am I?"

"What do you want, dobe?" Sasuke bluntly asked, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

Naruto scoffed and leaned over a still flustered Hinata.

"Sheesh! Touchy fellow, isn't he? I wonder how you can keep up with him, Hinata."

"I-It's not that b-bad, Naruto-kun." Hinata stuttered in reply, her face turning redder much to Sasuke's frustration.

"Still, I salute you for being able to tame this stupid chicken-head. You're awesome, Hinata!"

To this, the former heiress blushed even harder and stuttered thanks while Sasuke glared dangerously at the oblivious blonde.

"Anyway! I was just going to invite you two to the barbeque place later on! Gaara's visiting for a week and I invited the whole gang for a cool welcome party for him!"

"No thanks." Sasuke replied without hesitation, "I hate going to parties that most likely will end up with everyone drunk, especially when loud idiots like you are concerned."

"Psh! You're just a killjoy, teme!"

Naruto then turned to Hinata, giving his best puppy dog eyes while kneeling in front of her.

"Hinata! You wouldn't mind going to Gaara's welcome party with me, would you? I'll entertain you and make it the best party that you've ever attended!"

Hinata froze after hearing what he said. The way he said it, it's as if he was asking her to be his date or the likes. And even after her feelings for him diminished, it was still a big deal for her to be asked out like this, especially by Naruto.

"I-I-I-I…"

That's when she fainted into Sasuke's quick arms, the latter glaring daggers to his "best friend".

It looks like she failed her third test by a long shot. Maybe Naruto was a bad choice after all.

"You idiot. Look what your idiocy has done."

"S-sorry!" Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "I almost forgot that Hinata likes me. Or at least, she still finds me pretty cool. Haha, Hinata's so cute."

Sasuke's eyes burned with rage after he said that, contemplating whether he should pummel the blonde idiot or plain kill him. The latter sweatdropped and quickly stepped away with his hands raised in surrender.

"Okay, okay. I'm not allowed to say that. Sheesh, you're such a jealous boyfriend…"

It didn't take long before a giant bump suddenly grew on his head.

"Ow…"

"You're lucky that I decided to spare you, you dimwit." Sasuke's fist was still curled into a hard ball, his other arm holding the unconscious Hinata on his side, "I wouldn't have if I didn't remember to ask you something important."

Naruto continued nursing his head, raising an eyebrow in curiosity at his Uchiha friend.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Hinata told me that you were the one who suggested that she learn some… jerk lessons from me. Now I'm asking you if you knew why she needed to learn such idiocy."

"Oh, that. It must be because of the seduction mission Baa-chan Hokage gave her. Kakashi-sensei and the bug weirdo didn't know how to help her. Well, Kakashi-sensei actually does, but we'd rather not ask for his overly perverted suggestions. So she asked me to help her play a hard to get beauty, and I told her- hey!"

Sasuke was already on his heels walking furiously towards the Hokage building with Hinata slung over his shoulder, leaving the oblivious blonde jinchuuruki to stare behind him.

"… Oh crap. Hinata told me not to tell him…"

...

In the end, Naruto had to use his Sexy No Jutsu to complete the seduction mission due to Hinata's absence.

…

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Reviews are ALWAYS welcome for those who are willing to inspire! XD The next chapter is for anyone who would like to see Sasuke babysitting some kids! XD It also provides insight from one of Hinata's best buddies!


	11. Kindergarten

**OPrincess ShinigamiO** here! Am I early or am I early? Ok-ay, I actually don't know my posting schedule whatsoever, so let's just ignore that question! The reason why I posted now is because I might be taking a break for awhile, which means that the next chapter will prob'ly come out next Wednesday or Friday. I don't know, just tired I guess. By the way, I was so happy with the results last chapter! My **10**th chapter garnered more than **10** reviews in one day and my drabbles finally reached over **10**,000 views as well as reaching more than **10**0 reviews! The number 10 is such a lucky number for me this week! XD

This chapter will be the third of the "Friend's Point of View" edition, and it features our dog-loving ninja Kiba Inuzuka! Rejoice Kiba fans! ;D This chapter will be leaning more of the family-genre, as well as how Kiba's opinion on SasuHina changed over time. SasuHina will have some sweet fluff here, with some kids around, of course! I actually didn't expect it to be that long, but I hope I did well. So please enjoy this light-hearted chapter! ;)

Of course, I would never forget the awesome reviewers who took their time to give their thoughts and criticisms! I'd like it if some of the Guest reviewers could make their own account so that I could answer their questions or suggestions directly, but I suppose that I shouldn't complain. Anyway, thank you _Jeabird, NanamiYatsumaki, KariHitsugaya, blablablabla, kai-itachi21, Ayuzawa Shia, Saki-Hime, Serene-Aspiration723, FlameOfAFriend94, Sayuri-hime, mariarassie, soulfighter17, God Boy's Girl, BlackMoonTiger_, and _TP Tigers_! I think I'll stop replying for thanks coz it might start becoming annoying now, especially to the older reviewers who's been with me from the beginning. But I will reply to those with questions! I will continue to thank you all in my chapters and I hope that you'll continue to stick with me till the end! ;D

Disclaimer:... I don't think I see a little kid with a Sharingan and Byakugan at the same time, do you?...

* * *

_K- Kindergarten_

…

"Hey, mister! Are you really the Sasuke Uchiha that ran away with a girly snake?"

"Are you gonna take our toys and feed it to your pet snake?"

"Can you bring Chii-kun here?"

"Mister, I think I need to go potty…"

"Ew! He poopied on his underwear!"

"Is that a black chicken on your head?"

"I wanna have red contact lenses with swirly things in it too!"

"You're weird!"

"Can you really make lighting appear in your hand?"

"I wanna see that!"

"Me too!"

"Me three!"

Sasuke Uchiha was beyond miffed with the annoyingly loud kids crowding around his legs. Tsunade must've been dead drunk when she assigned him to watch over Konoha's daycare center a few hours ago. Or maybe she really had this sadistic bad humor in her blood.

But it just so happened that a bunch of foreign rogue ninjas were on the loose that week. Because some rich clan's kids were in the daycare, it was insisted that a professional ninja guard the daycare in case any of the rogue ninjas were stupid enough to attack defenseless children.

"… I hate kids."

"I-I don't think they're that bad, Sasuke-kun." Hinata giggled as a brave little boy started climbing on Sasuke's shoulder so he could swing on his arms like a monkey. The other kids continued nagging the older man to show them his "super-awesome Chidori fireworks".

"Hahaha! To think I would see the day the Uchiha would care for little brats!" Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata's dog-like teammate, guffawed at the sight while slapping a tiny pink kids' table in laughter, ignoring the death glare that was directed at him from the Uchiha. Akamaru barked in agreement while the other little kids in the daycare started climbing around his fluffy white body.

"Shut up, Inuzuka. What are you doing here anyway? Oh, wait. Don't tell me, after all."

Kiba ceased his laughing, flicking out a tear from his eye and slyly smirking at the Uchiha.

"Well, there really wasn't anything to do back at home. And since missions are pretty much scarce right now, figured that I should hang with Hinata and Shino." Kiba scrunched up his face, "Shino had to stay at home for this weird insect season thing. I guess his insects were reproducing or something. But then I found Hinata, not surprisingly, with you." Kiba grinned slyly, "What I didn't expect was to see you guys in the daycare center. To take care of annoying snot-filled thumb-sucking brats during this beautiful spring day."

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata gave a disapproving look at her teammate, "It's not right to call these kids 'brats'. They're still innocent little children."

"If these kids are acting exactly like how Kurenai-sensei's kid's acting, then they're definitely little selfish monsters." Kiba snorted.

"Oh, I don't know, Inuzuka." Sasuke smirked, ignoring the kids who were already climbing all over his shoulders and arms, "I think you're completely compatible with these brats. Why, if someone placed you and the dumb blonde in the kindergarten level, no one would ever notice the difference."

"What? And I suppose you're too good for us? I admit that I agree on Naruto's case, but comparing me to him is plain ridiculous!"

"Why? I honestly don't see the difference. Maybe he's got the bigger brain? If you call it a brain at all."

"You bastard! You wanna piece of me?"

"Bring it on, mutt. Although I doubt you can do anything good without your dog."

"The heck? Why I'll show you-!"

Kiba snarled at the Uchiha while baring his sharp fangs, while the latter looked about ready to activate his blood-red Sharingan.

The kids all around them, such sadistic sports they were, began cheering on each sides for a fight. The daycare teachers were still making their snacks in another room, so it was a surprise that they haven't heard any of the ruckus the kids were starting to make.

Hinata bit her lip nervously, seeing that it was up to her to stop this madness.

"Sasuke-kun! Kiba-kun! Not in here!" Hinata stood in between the two growling men, giving both a disapproving yet pleading look. "I-I don't want the children to see such violence. Both of you are acting like, like immature children!"

Some of the kids began snickering and singing aloud about them acting like big babies, happy that it was the grown-ups who got a scolding instead of them.

The Uchiha and the Inuzuka didn't stop glaring dangerously at each other, but they eventually gave in and huffed as they sat down in little pink kiddie chairs. Hinata gave a sigh of relief before sitting down herself while the kids began groaning in disappointment and returned to pestering Sasuke for the Chidori show.

Suddenly, Akamaru's head shot up and began whimpering. Kiba groaned and stood up from his seat.

"Oh great, can't hold it in anymore, buddy? Let's go. Be right back, Hinata." The dog owner walked to his dog, and together they went outside while most of the kids excitedly followed to watch the giant dog take a piss at the bushes in the garden.

A little girl with curly brown pigtails, who looked no more than four, stayed behind and stared in awe at the former heiress.

"Your eyes are pretty," the little girl smiled shyly. The sight somehow reminded Hinata of when she was younger. "And you have nice long hair too. When I grow up, I want to look pretty like you."

Hinata blushed softly. She then gave a gentle smile to the little girl, almost like a mother does to a daughter who has just made her first drawing.

"Thank you, sweetie. I think you look pretty too. What's your name?"

The little girl's chubby cheeks reddened slightly, her amethyst eyes sparkling brightly after the compliment.

"M-Miki."

"A 'beautiful princess'? Well, Miki," Hinata grinned as she brought the shy girl to her lap, "I think your name says it all. You will grow into a very beautiful and kind lady, just like a princess in a fairy tale."

Miki beamed, her eyes sparkling with adoration for the kind-hearted woman.

"Are you a princess?"

Hinata's eyes widened slightly, her cheeks reddened in surprise.

"Ah, um-"

"Yes, she actually is."

The two girls turned to the dark man beside them, who surprisingly had a soft wistful expression on his face. Hinata gasped and blushed even harder after realizing that he was actually watching the whole scene unfold.

Sasuke in turn smirked at the flustered Hyuuga, and then turned to the curious little girl.

"She is a princess who was supposed to become queen of her kingdom. But her father and his advisors weren't so sure if they wanted her to take his place, so the princess worked hard for so many years so that she could prove them wrong."

Miki's eyes widened in anticipation, staying silent seeing that story telling time was starting.

The other kids who were bored watching Akamaru came back just as Sasuke began his story. They excitedly sat around Sasuke and Hinata on the ground like obedient little puppies, as if none of the ruckus earlier had happened at all.

Sasuke smirked. Well-told story telling never failed to do wonders to calm a noisy kid.

He remembered fragments of his childhood when his mother would use story telling to keep him from misbehaving when he was a toddler. She would tell of how an Uchiha prince fought against a scary fire-breathing dragon, and how that prince learned the fire jutsu from it and used it to save the princess that was kept inside the dragon's cave. The story wasn't true, of course. But it did help motivate him to learn more about the fireball jutsu when he grew a bit older.

The melancholy from his memories flooded his head for a second, but he shook it off after seeing Hinata looking worriedly at him.

Turning to the waiting kids, he plastered another proud smirk on his lips and continued on with his story. At least they weren't pestering him for some ridiculous Chidori fireworks show anymore.

"As I've said before, the princess continued working hard, day and night, to prove to her father that she could become a great queen. Also, to impress a…" Sasuke scoffed, "stubborn, idiotic, yet hardworking peasant boy, who also happened to be her inspiration. Since she was a little girl, the princess had always loved her peasant friend, and wished that someday the boy will like her back."

The girls began sighing contentedly, while the boys stuck out their tongues in disgust.

"But then, a mysterious prince from the neighboring kingdom came by…"

…

It took awhile for Kiba to wait for Akamaru to finish his business.

He couldn't blame his best friend and partner though. No one would want people, especially annoying little brats, to watch while they're leaking.

Right after the kids got bored of watching and went back inside the daycare, much to Kiba's relief, the snow-white dog was able to concentrate until he finally finished his business.

"Geez, those kids were annoying." Kiba muttered to himself as he and his dog walked back inside. Akamaru bobbed his head as if nodding in agreement.

"I know right?" Kiba grinned after seeing his dog nod. He then lifted his arms behind his head. "Wonder how Uchiha's faring with the brats now. It's hard to act nice around him, but I have to for Hinata's sake. Poor Hina needs a break from that brooding bastard."

"Rarf!"

"Right. You're a great buddy, Akamaru."

As he opened the sliding door, he stopped in his steps when he saw what was happening.

Sasuke Uchiha, the dark former avenger who used to be full of hatred, was sitting there on a tiny pink stool in the middle of kids, who were surprisingly quiet in contrast to earlier, telling stories like an experienced babysitter.

Kiba wondered if Orochimaru made Sasuke babysit some experimented children as part of his training. As far as he could tell, Sasuke did a better job with the kids than his own mother (she was a VERY impatient and restless woman that only her family and children could handle, Kiba thought with a shudder.).

Hinata was sitting right beside him with a little brunette girl on her lap, slightly flustered while listening along to Sasuke's story. But Kiba could tell that Hinata was enjoying every single second of the moment.

Kiba didn't really know what stopped him from coming forward. Instead, he leaned on the door with his arms crossed and a tiny smirk on his face while his dog, understanding what Kiba's doing, just sat down and wagged its tail happily at the scene.

Somehow, seeing the Uchiha with Hinata and a bunch of kids wasn't so surprising and strange at all. In all reality, it looked kind of … fitting. As if it was meant to happen.

As if they were meant to be a family.

As much as Kiba disliked Sasuke, he knew deep in his heart no matter how much he denied it that Hinata was in good hands with him around. He was so angry at first when Hinata told him and Shino about her mission to watch the Uchiha, and he was even angrier when he found out of the verbal abuse Hinata had to endure for the first few months. He tried convincing Hinata to give up her task, but she stubbornly refused and reassured him that everything would be fine and that Sasuke would eventually change for the better. He didn't believe her then, but after seeing them together like this, there was no doubt left in his mind that his beloved teammate succeeded.

That's when he realized of how scary Hinata could be.

"- and so, the princess gave up her throne to her sister. But she was happy, because she found something, or someone, much more important to her."

"_Ah. I see."_ Kiba thought to himself, understanding whose story Sasuke was portraying.

Sasuke paused, turning his onyx eyes to look at his companion's lavender-white hues. Hinata softly gasped at the soft gaze he gave her, blushing even harder after knowing that the kids could see them.

The kids began having mixed reactions. Some were cooing softly and cheering happily while some boys grunted in their usual boyish disgust.

Kiba chuckled at their response. They were definitely an interesting pair.

He didn't notice that an unexpected visitor had arrived to witness the scene.

"… What is going on here?"

Oh. Crap.

Kiba slowly turned his head, sniffing a very familiar scent. He grinned nervously at the visitor, who currently smelled as if he was ready to shed some blood (yeah, it's possible for Inuzukas to smell danger)

"N-N-Neji! What the heck are you doing here?"

"I was just about to pick up Hinata-sama because of some clan matters, and Shino pointed me to this place. Now tell me Kiba," veins began popping visibly around the Hyuuga's head, "why does it look like the Uchiha is looking that way at Hinata-sama?"

"Ah, um, well-"

"I thought I could trust you to keep them at a reasonable space away from each other."

"B-but! -"

"N-Neji-nii?" Hinata gasped as she finally noticed her cousin. Sasuke rolled his eyes and grunted.

"Hyuuga. Just great."

"Uchiha. Outside. Now."

"Oh boy! It's a fight!" A kid began shouting excitedly, the calm and sickeningly sweet atmosphere long forgotten. The other boys began cheering along and chanting "Fight! Fight! Fight!" while the little girls rolled their eyes.

Kiba watched nervously as the two opposing ninjas began to walk outside, with Hinata following behind nervously while trying to stop the both of them from making a scene. The daycare teachers finally arrived and tried keeping the noisy children from going outside. In short, it was a ruckus.

Kiba shook his head as he and Akamaru left the out-of-order daycare.

"Good luck, Hinata. You're gonna need it."

…

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Reviews once again are ALWAYS welcome for those who wants to inspire! XD And the next chapter? You'll find out what happened to Team Hebi after all this time! ;)


	12. Love

**OPrincess ShinigamiO** here! And I'm so so so sorry for posting late! It just so happened that we lost our internet for the last five days, and I haven't had time and energy to type up the chapter until now. But don't worry, this will be one of the longest chapters of the drabbles to date. And the title, hah! You might not have expected it to be so easy, did you? We're having another Friends' Point of View edition with Team Hebi/Taka's Jugo! I apologize if this is the wrong spelling of the name, but I haven't had the energy to change it right now so just bear with it. SasuHina will only appear at the last half, but they will have some fluff, don't worry! So please enjoy this late chapter! ;)_  
_

As per usual, thank you to all my reviewers! Please accept my sincere apology for not mentioning you guys in this chapter. But it's late (more like 4 AM) and I really have to finish this and crash before I forget! Don't worry! I'll post your names on the next chapter, so please continue looking forward to it! ;D

Disclaimer: I ... freakin'... don't... own~zzzzzzzzzzzz...zzzzz... (-_-)zzz

* * *

_L-Love_

…

It was late during the fall season when Jugo arrived at Konoha.

The orange-haired giant stared impassively at the gates, silently pondering whether it was a good idea to come visit Sasuke after all.

It's been a full year since he and the rest of Team Hebi, no, Team Taka were fully discharged and sent on their own free ways. The group had been disbanded then, though not officially. It's just that not everyone of them wanted to stay at the same village that kept them imprisoned for quite some time.

Not to mention, not every Konoha villagers would be happy to see the rogue ninja team made up of Orochimaru's experiments that planned to destroy the village.

Only Sasuke remained in Konoha, but that was because he hadn't exactly been given the freedom to leave the village, thanks to his former teammates.

Suigetsu left to travel God knows where in the hopes of reforming the second generation of the Seven Swordsmen. There's little doubt for this to happen though, because they've been in constant watch by the ANBU even after their release by the order of Konoha's council members.

Though reluctant to leave Sasuke's side, Karin didn't want to stay in Konoha as much as the rest of Team Taka, so she decided to stay low in one of the calmer villages like the Tea Country. She hated Konoha with a passion, partly because they interrogated and imprisoned her for a long time, and also because that was where Orochimaru used to live and serve.

That was enough reason for her to leave Sasuke's side and to find a new path of her own. For now.

She promised to return someday in the hopes of winning Sasuke's heart after a good duration of time away from each other (she insisted that time spent away from each other would make Sasuke's heart fonder, or so she said).

Of course, none of Team Taka believed a word.

They all knew that Sasuke was someone who would never take romance seriously.

And if he did, they were sure that the end of the ninja world wouldn't be too far behind.

The corner of Jugo's lips slightly hitched upwards as he remembered Suigetsu and Karin bickering as much as they could at Konoha's gates before they all went their separate ways.

They'd never admit it, but Jugo knew that ever since Sasuke gathered them together, they've all bonded at some point, though there were no doubt some instances when loyalties and maybe even sanities were questioned.

Team Taka might not have treasured friendship as much as Sasuke's first teammates did, but they still faced and overcame many obstacles together.

They travelled together. They ate and drank together. They rested together. They suffered together. They made and learned mistakes together. They mended each other in little ways they'd never expect.

And even though in the end, they all had to go their separate ways, they were still Team Taka. And no once could change that.

Since they've separated, nobody had seen one another for a whole year. No communications or whatsoever at all. In order to create a brighter future for themselves, they had to go their own way, or else they would most likely cling to the past.

They knew in their hearts that Team Taka would reunite one day.

They just weren't sure whether they still would in this lifetime.

Until today.

Jugo took a deep breath after shaking his head from his reverie.

A tiny blue bird flew by, flitting in circles against the bright sun before perching itself at the giant man's shoulder.

To this, Jugo smiled. Then he took a step forward and entered Konoha once again.

Like Suigetsu and Karin, Jugo had been travelling by himself. It was difficult, of course, to travel alone when you have this unpredictable monstrosity that might emerge anytime you least expected.

But with the help of Naruto and a few sedatives, Jugo was able to practice controlling his sage mode before he was allowed to be set free.

He did consider staying at Konoha after being set free instead of travelling alone, since he wanted to stay loyal to Sasuke. But something in his mind told him that it was for the best that all members of Team Taka should go their own ways.

Sasuke didn't need him anymore, and Jugo needed to practice controlling himself without him, knowing that Kimimaro would want him to do the same.

So he left Konoha and lived in the forests and mountains, with animals and a few friendly country-siders for company.

Jugo looked around as he took in the nostalgic sight of the village. The last time he arrived, he wasn't really able to appreciate Konoha's surroundings, thanks to the heavy shackles and painful seals around his body.

Now that the situation's changed, he realized that Konoha was quite a peaceful place when there's no war concerned.

People began to stare at the giant man as he silently passed them by. Not many people knew about the formation of Team Taka, and the few people who knew were sworn to secrecy as to not spill any more bad blood between men.

Of course, that didn't mean that they couldn't give suspicious glares at the man.

But Jugo didn't mind, seeing that it's quite normal for them to look at him that way. He was a rather calm and forgiving person if it weren't for his curse, and he'd rather not start anything that would catch the Hokage's attention in a negative way.

"Jugo? Bipolar Jugo? Is that you?"

The orange-haired giant perked his head at the name-calling before turning, spotting a young brunette woman eating a giant bar of dark chocolate in one hand and the other holding what seems to be a plastic bag full of chocolate-flavored ice cream.

Seeing the familiar signature buns on her head, Jugo easily recognized her with a tiny friendly smile.

"Tenten-san. Good morning."

Tenten grinned at the sight of her old temporary training partner, showing off her chocolate-stained teeth. As part of Jugo's sage mode-controlling practice, Tenten was tasked to hold him down whenever he lost control. She was thrilled of course to have someone challenging to train with, even when Neji was quite disapproving of her decision. Over time, Tenten and Jugo became good friends and regular training partners before Jugo left Konoha.

"Jugo! I knew it was you when I saw that towering body and the mop of orange hair entering the village gates! It's been a year since I've last seen you. How have you been and what brings you here?"

Jugo shrugged, raising an eyebrow at the amount of chocolates she was carrying.

"I've been travelling around the forests for quite some time. I just happened to remember this part of the forest and realized that it was just outside Konoha. I guess it must be fate, because I have been thinking of visiting Sasuke for some time now."

"Hm, is that so?" Tenten mumbled as she bit into a large piece of chocolate, "Well, I suppose it's been awhile and that you've missed your old team leader."

Jugo watched curiously as Tenten bit gobbled up the last bit of her chocolate bar before digging into her plastic bag and scooping up a large tub of chocolate ice cream.

"Well? Has he been well?"

"Oh no, don't worry, Jugo! Sasuke's been healthy and doing well for the last several months." Tenten paused in the midst of her ice cream scooping and grinned slyly at her giant friend, "In fact, he's actually doing VERY well. That is, ever since a certain someone-"

"Tenten! Hey Tenten~!"

Tenten and Jugo turned to see Lee bathed in all his usual exuberant glory, waving in a somewhat careless manner as he clumsily stumbled in circles. His face was beet-red, and his eyes were clearly drooping. The sight of a large sake bottle clutched in one hand explained everything.

"Tenten, I think I see the fountain of youth at the other side of town~"

"Lee! Did you get into another freakin' drinking bet again?!" Tenten began mercilessly scolding her green-clad teammate while angrily waving her chocolate-laden spoon, her high-pitched screaming attracting the passerby's attentions as Lee continued swaying his arms like an octopus. Jugo watched in curiosity and amusement at the scene, albeit a bit worried.

The weapon mistress's anger was almost parallel to when he'd transform into a violent killing machine. Especially today.

Tenten took a break from her scolding after smashing the sake's bottle on Lee's head, rendering him unconscious. She then turned to Jugo with an apologetic grin on her face.

"Sorry, Jugo. Seems like we should save our little chat for later. If you'd like to know where Sasuke is right now, he's probably back at the Uchiha Compound with Hinata."

Jugo raised an eyebrow in surprise after Tenten left with an unconscious Lee towed in one arm and the bag of chocolates in the other.

Hinata? Hinata Hyuuga? He remembered meeting the shy Hyuuga heiress maybe twice when she temporarily watched over him in the stead of Tenten, and when she gave a bunch of sweet-smelling Freesia flowers as a present of congratulations for being set free.

She was kind enough to treat him as a normal human being, not as someone who was seen as a violent monster that would eat them alive anytime. She was definitely the opposite of Karin, and not only through appearances. Oh no, Hinata was much more beautiful than the redhead.

While Karin was loud, dirty-mouthed, and very much annoying, Hinata was shy, considerate, and very soft-spoken. Karin had absolutely no problem showing off her obsession and possessiveness over Sasuke, but Jugo heard that Hinata had a very difficult time expressing her feelings to Naruto.

Yep, they were definitely the polar opposites of each other. And Jugo very much preferred Hinata all the way.

But he never knew that Sasuke would ever bother to give Hinata any of his time. In fact, as far as Jugo knew Sasuke hated interacting with sweet, innocent people. Especially girls.

Jugo didn't realize that he has already arrived at the Uchiha compound's gates as he pondered over Sasuke being with Hinata.

Observing the place, it still seemed abandoned and empty. But that was obviously not the case since some of the houses were cleaned up and repaired.

The giant knew that Sasuke had wanted to revive the Uchiha clan for revenge. But he knew that all these changes at the Uchiha compound weren't all his doing.

Jugo decided not to think much of it and headed towards Sasuke's home.

As he reached the Uchiha mansion, he observed curiously the growing flowers surrounding the house. It didn't seem like they just grew out of nowhere. It's as if someone wanted to decorate the house with pretty-colored flowers. And Jugo was pretty sure it was not Sasuke's idea.

Just as he was about to knock on the door, he heard a soft giggling sound somewhere around the mansion.

Narrowing his eyes, the giant turned his head to the empty streets, seeing no one. He heard another set of giggles, and decided that maybe the culprit was behind the house.

Adjusting the long cape on his shoulders, Jugo silently walked to the mansion's backyard, where the giggles have been growing louder. He tried masking his chakra just in case it was an intruder sent on an assassination attempt. But as he reached the edge of the backyard, he realized that his worries were all just in vain. Instead, his fear was replaced with utter shock.

In the middle of the Uchiha mansion's backyard, Hinata was sitting beside a tiny tomato patch while Sasuke was lying on the grass with his dark head resting on her lap.

And the most surprising fact was that Sasuke didn't seem to care if anyone catches them. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying Hinata's company.

Jugo's eyes widened a fraction as he watched a slightly flustered Hinata playing with some strands of Sasuke's hair with a soft expression on her face. Judging by the basket of tomatoes not far behind Hinata, it seemed that she was just picking up some ripe tomatoes before she turned her attention to her brooding companion.

Sasuke's eyes were closed, but one could tell that he was far from dreamland. He was obviously enjoying the soft, lingering fingers combing his hair, leaning to the girl's warm touch when her hand gently touched his pale cheek and frowning when she pulled away as the former heiress giggled at her companion's reaction.

"Sasuke-kun," Hinata began with her tiny soft tone, "I-I should start making lunch now. It's nearly twelve noon."

"One more minute." Sasuke grunted, reaching out to pull back Hinata's hand onto his cheek, much to the Hyuuga's embarrassment.

"B-but, you said that you wanted some tomato salad. And I s-still have to prepare the vegetables-"

Sasuke's eyes snapped open, effectively stopping Hinata from continuing. His onyx eyes were staring at her lavender-white pearls, and the smoldering look on his eyes made it easy for one to tell that they were saying "I love you".

Jugo couldn't really tell if Sasuke has already realized his presence. But judging by Sasuke's great chakra-sensibility, he concluded that it was more likely that he did but just pretended not to in order to not interrupt the moment.

Hinata's face transformed from a slight pink to a tomato-red as Sasuke gave one of his rare genuine smiles at her, stuttering as she quickly took away her hand from Sasuke's hold and gently lifted Sasuke's head from her lap in embarrassment.

Sasuke grunted in disappointment as he sat up when Hinata scrambled back inside the house with the basket of tomatoes in her arms after stuttering out that she would be preparing lunch. Jugo couldn't help but smile after seeing Sasuke looking like a little boy who was forbidden to eat a cookie before dinnertime.

"I know you're there, Jugo."

Sasuke's eyes turned lazily at the direction where Jugo's hiding. Jugo came out and nodded in greeting.

"It's been awhile, Sasuke."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at his former teammate.

"I trust that you've been doing well this past year?"

"I've made progress." Jugo replied, giving an appreciative smile at his former leader and refuge. Sasuke simply nodded before turning his head to where Hinata's gone. Jugo's eyes followed, and then turned back to the Uchiha with utmost curiosity.

"So, Hinata Hyuuga. You've been spending quite some time with her?"

Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly.

"It's none of your business."

Jugo just gave a tiny smile, seeing that Sasuke hasn't changed that much aside from being with Hinata.

"And you love her?"

Sasuke didn't reply immediately, continuing to stare at the window where he could vaguely see Hinata humming while preparing the salad bowls. He then turned to his former teammate, and Jugo knew through the look on his eyes of his reply.

The orange-haired man nodded and gave a tiny chuckle. It seemed like the end of the ninja world was not too far behind after all.

"I understand. I would never have expected this, but congratulations Sasuke. I know that Hinata is a good person with a good heart even when I've only met her a few times. I'm sure you both will have a wonderful future together."

"Thanks." Sasuke simply replied before narrowing his eyes slightly, "Since when did you know Hinata?"

Jugo lifted an eyebrow, suppressing a chuckle before replying with both hands raised.

"Don't be mad, Sasuke. She only helped me once with my anger issues and then congratulated me for being set free from imprisonment."

Of course, he wasn't going to add in the fact that she gave him flowers. Jugo chuckled at Sasuke's possessiveness. He wondered what Karin and Suigetsu would think if they found out about Sasuke's feelings, especially Karin. She would be furious indeed, and Suigetsu would probably just crack a joke and flirt with Hinata just to anger Sasuke. If that happens, Jugo wouldn't want to miss it for the world. Of course, it was for Hinata's safety as well. Who knows what the redhead would do to her?

"J-Jugo-san? Is that you?"

Jugo turned to see Hinata at the backyard sliding door, this time clad with a frilly blue apron. He then gave a nod of greeting while she returned the gesture with a bow.

"W-would you like to h-have lunch with us, Jugo-san?"

Jugo glanced at Sasuke for confirmation, who in turn was already walking towards the Hyuuga. Hinata gasped as the Uchiha suddenly snaked his arms around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder and his breath teasing her bright red ear.

"He'll be staying for lunch. But after that, he'll have to go."

"S-Sasuke-kun!"

"It's alright, Hinata-san." Jugo gave a tiny reassuring smile, "I wasn't planning on staying for long. I was just passing by and decided to visit Sasuke for a short while. I'll be leaving this afternoon."

"O-oh, is that so?" Hinata replied, slightly pushing Sasuke away in embarrassment at the public display of affection. The Uchiha conceded and gave a chaste kiss on her cheek, earning a squeak from her, before turning to Jugo and nodded for him to come inside. Hinata stuttered for Jugo to do the same and then followed Sasuke to the kitchen.

Jugo smiled as he slowly went inside, pausing by the door while watching the couple prepare the table. It seemed as if they stopped being aware of his presence, with the Uchiha protesting about Hinata's week long mission to Suna, and the Hyuuga giggling and reassuring him that she'd be fine.

Now he knew why Sasuke wanted to spend the whole afternoon alone with Hinata. Jugo suppressed a chuckle, his eyes softening at the sight of a blushing Hinata giving a soft smile at the Uchiha, who was still frowning with worry.

As Jugo left Konoha a few hours after their lunch, he smiled in relief for his friend.

He was glad that his former team leader has found happiness with a girl. Sasuke Uchiha loved Hinata Hyuuga, that fact was as clear as day. In the past, they would never have imagined the day the Uchiha would settle down with someone.

Now Jugo could see it happening in the near future.

Even with Team Taka disbanded, Jugo knew that Sasuke was already in better hands. In the hands of Hinata Hyuuga.

He just hoped that the rest of Team Taka would understand that as well when it's their turn to find out about Sasuke and Hinata's relationship.

Jugo looked up at the bright, cloudy sky.

It seemed like the end of the world would not be happening any time soon after all.

* * *

Again, Reviews are ALWAYS welcome! ;D For the next chapter, it will still be part of the Friends' Point of View edition and will feature Hinata's one and only sensei! ;)


	13. Memories

**OPrincess ShinigamiO** here! And yes, it's been a while since I've last updated, a month at most. I apologize since I just kinda lost the SasuHina mood ever since the Road To Ninja hype died down, if you haven't read my profile updates, so I apologize if I'm a bit rusty in this chapter. Why I decided to post a new chapter is because exams are over and I have all the time right now to get over my boredom and get my butt to write another SasuHina chapter! I had a sudden urging for SasuHina anyway, since I've watched the Naruto Shippuden ending named Cascade. People in YouTube are all arguing about how it's a shippy, implied NaruHina/SasuSaku/NaruSaku ending. I find that kinda funny, because if that's the case, then I suppose that I could "see" an implied SasuHina prediction. Well, yeah it's impossible, but a girl can dream right? ;)

So as you readers know, this will feature another Friend's Point of View, and this time, it's Hinata's very own sensei, Kurenai! Oh, and you get a glimpse of her son as well. Kurenai and Hinata will take over the first half of the chapter, but don't worry! SasuHina fluff will come after! So without further ado, please enjoy! ;)

By the way, I'd like to thank all those readers and reviewers who faithfully stuck to me while I update much more irregularly! I won't be able to post the reviewers' names now, but please accept all my thanks and gratitude for taking the time to comment and review! You don't know how happy and appreciated that makes me feel! ;)

Disclaimer: I'd rather not go through this again. (-_-)"

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_M- Memories_

…

Kurenai leaned on the door connecting her kitchen to the living room with her arms crossed together. Right in front of her, Akira, her four-year-old son with Asuma, was showing the annoyed Uchiha the new moves he learned from Shikamaru.

The red-eyed, tan-skinned child was trying to flip his toy kunai in the air, and then tried catching it with one chubby hand. The Uchiha, however, was leaning on the couch with an irritated expression on his face. Having heard from Hinata of what happened when Sasuke was assigned to bodyguard some kindergarten children, Kurenai supposed that he might've wanted to stay away from kids for quite some time.

But here he was, tolerating the little enthusiastic child of his beloved's sensei. Kurenai smirked as she watched her son try convincing Sasuke to teach him some new tricks, pushing the toy kunai to the annoyed Uchiha's chest. Who would've thought that the very person who harmed her student in the past, what more the infamous former traitor of Konoha, would be allowed to entertain her only son?

"Kurenai-sensei, the pumpkin soup is ready." Hinata said, taking out the bowl of soup from the oven.

Kurenia turned from the living room and into the kitchen, smiling at her former student.

"Thank you, Hinata. You didn't have to do this, you know."

"Oh no," Hinata replied, waving her hands in front of her, "It's alright, really. It's been so long since I've visited you and little Akira, it's the least I could do to help a little bit."

"Yes, but that's because you've been dispatched to so many missions out of Konoha lately. It's not like you could help it, so don't worry about me feeling lonely." Kurenai said, taking the bowl of soup from Hinata, "Besides, Shikamaru and Choji have been keeping me company a lot more recently. And Kiba and Shino have been visiting as much as they can as well. So don't feel guilty, Hinata."

Hinata smiled apologetically before shaking her head.

"I'm not only doing this because I felt that you'd be lonely, sensei. I apologize for sounding so selfish, but I miss your company as well. With Hanabi away more often, I felt like I needed some female company. And I thought of you…"

Kurenai smiled amusingly at her former student, placing the bowl of soup at the dinner table.

"Thanks for making me feel better. But why do I have this feeling that it's more than just that?"

Hinata blushed, avoiding looking at her sensei in the eye. In the background, they could hear Akira's excited squeals mixed with Sasuke's hushed scolding.

"Uh, um…" Hinata mumbled, poking her fingers together.

Kurenai raised an eyebrow at this. Strange, since it's been awhile since she saw Hinata stuttering or being embarrassed. Unless…

"It's about Sasuke, isn't it?" Kurenai smirked.

To this, Hinata's cheeks reddened further. She bowed her head, but slowly nodded anyway. Kurenai's eyes widened, suddenly taking both Hinata's hands into her own.

"Omigosh, Hinata! DID HE PROPOSE TO YOU?!" she said in a half-whispered squeal.

Hinata's eyes widened, her face heating up so much, she could've sworn that her ears are emitting smoke by now.

"W-what?! N-n-n-no! W-what m-makes y-you think th-that?" Hinata stuttered in embarrassment, covering her burning face with both her hands.

Kurenai pouted in disappointment.

"It's a no then? Well, I'm sorry for assuming, Hinata. It's just that you said that you wanted some female company, and I assumed that you wanted advice from someone who has experienced… love, I suppose. Besides," she shrugged, nodding her head towards the living room, "I wouldn't actually be surprised if he would finally ask you to marry him. I mean, look at him."

Kurenai paused, walking to the kitchen's doorway to watch the Uchiha hold her son's toy kunai in the air while Akira tried reaching for it in glee.

"It's obvious that the Uchiha cares for you. If it were any other girl, he would probably just brush them off without any second thought. He'd never accompany anyone else just to babysit a four-year-old, not if you're not by his side. In fact, he would've done anything to leave this village if it weren't for you." Kurenai smiled, turning her head to the former heiress, "Do you comprehend what I'm saying, Hinata? You are the sole reason why he's living on. You brought him out of the darkness, you are the anchor to his sanity. And because of that, he cherishes you more than anything else, more than the desire for death. You, my dear, are a very lucky girl to be loved by someone so deeply, it's crushing you deep inside."

Kurenai smiled as Hinata nodded her head, sinking in what her sensei told her. The red-eyed woman sighed, then glanced at the framed pictures on her kitchen counter.

"Hinata, do you remember when you first lived here? When your father assigned me to be your caretaker?"

Hinata nodded, frowning at the slightly offending memory. Her sensei continued on.

"Well, I remember the first day you came here, you didn't speak a single word. You refused to eat or drink anything. You'd just bow your head in thanks, and then slip silently into your room. That continued on for three days."

Kurenai smiled sadly at the memory, leaning on the counter and picking up the picture of a younger Hinata holding a tiny injured bird in her tiny hands.

"But one day, while we were taking a stroll around the marketplace, you happened to stumble upon a baby robin. It hurt its wing and therefore couldn't fly. Its mother nor its nest were nowhere to be found as well."

Hinata smiled at the memory, remembering the time when she saw the baby robin chirping weakly as she picked it up into her hands.

"Afterwards, you timidly asked me if we could keep it, just to keep it safe until its wing is completely healed." Kurenai continued, "I was surprised. That was the first time you spoke to me ever since you stayed with me. So of course, I complied. I wanted to support you, to do whatever I can to make you open up."

Kurenai sat down on a chair, signaling Hinata to do the same. Hinata smiled, sitting on the chair beside her sensei.

"I remember, sensei," Hinata said, "You asked me why I wanted to take care of the bird too."

"Yes, indeed," Kurenai nodded, tracing the picture with a slender finger, "And then, you replied that it was because the little robin reminded you of yourself. Because it was weak and abandoned, you wanted to help however you can to make it stronger and feel important. And then, since that day, you began opening up little by little, cherishing the tiny bird with utmost care at the same time."

Kurenai and Hinata smiled at each other, reminiscing the time when they finally set the bird free. The bird's wing was healed, thanks to Hinata, and when it grew a little bigger, Hinata decided that it was time to let go. To let the bird decide its own path.

And so, one summer day, they opened the living room window filled with potted plants, and let the bird fly free. And it flew, struggling a little bit, but it finally flew high and proud. Hinata could've sworn that the little robin turned for the last time just to give them thanks before flying away from their lives forever.

"Hinata."

Hinata looked up curiously at her sensei.

"Just like how you took care of the bird, you have to cherish Sasuke as much as you can. Cherish every single moment you have together. Never take his affection for granted, because you'll never know…"

Hinata looked worriedly at Kurenai, knowing that she faltered because of her memories with Asuma, who died in the hands of the Akatsuki. Slowly and gently, she took one of her hands into her own in comfort. Kurenai blinked, unconsciously letting the tears fall from her eyes.

"I-it's okay, Kurenai-sensei," Hinata said, patting her sensei's hand, "I-I understand what you're trying to say. But you didn't have to worry." Hinata paused, smiling assuredly at the red-eyed woman while looking straight at her eye, "There was never a time when I would not cherish Sasuke-kun's presence. Every time he's with me, I would feel… incredibly happy. Whenever he… holds my hand, looks me in the eye with that soft expression, covers me with his warm arms… I feel safe. I feel that there's nothing that could break us apart, no matter the obstacles. I feel braver, stronger, and better yet, loved."

Kurenai blinked, wiping her tears away while looking incredulously at her former student. Hinata's cheeks were sprinkled with tiny hints of pink, but she continued on. She didn't notice another presence, or two, enter the kitchen.

"And there's not enough amount of love that I could bestow upon him. There never was, and never will be, no matter how much I want to give him everything. If I could, I would protect him forever from all his nightmares, his regrets, and his dark thoughts. Of course, it's too naïve to think that I could completely heal him from all that. But I won't give up. I'll never give up trying, and if possible, I'd like to spend the rest of my life protecting him, caring for him, loving him. That is, if he wants me to."

"Of course I would."

Hinata squeaked in surprise, turning her head so quick that her neck almost snapped. As soon as she saw the Uchiha right behind her, slightly smiling in amusement while Akira hung at one of his toned shoulders, her face turned beet red, turning away to cover her embarrassed face with both her arms on the table.

"Mama!" Akira exclaimed, climbing out of the Uchiha's shoulder and jumping into his mother's lap. "Look what mister Sasuke showed me! He said- mama, are you crying?"

Akira reached up to pat his mother's wet face, scrunching up his chubby face in worry. Kurenai smiled, hugging her son closely to her chest.

"No, it's alright, Akira. Mommy's just happy for my student."

Hinata looked up, smiling at the sight of the mother-and-son's display of affection. A hand gently touched her shoulder, and Hinata turned to see Sasuke watching the same scene. His face was surprisingly filled with softness, from melancholy and nostalgia, remembering when his mother would shower him with the same affection when he would accidentally hurt his finger.

Hinata placed her own pale hand to his, smiling upwards at the Uchiha. Then she turned to her sensei.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, Kurenai-sensei, but the soup's getting cold. I'm sure that little Akira's getting hungry now."

Kurenai nodded, "Yes, you're right. Hinata." She then turned to her son, "Alright, my little ninja. Time for your dinner. Auntie Hinata made your favorite pumpkin soup tonight."

Akira grinned and jumped out from his mother's embrace.

"YAY! Pumpkin soup!" he scrambled to get up on his favorite chair, then paused and turned to Hinata, "Auntie Hina? Can you get my kunai please? I wanna show mama the new moves mister Sasuke teach me!"

Hinata smiled at her little godson as she stood up from her seat.

"Alright, Akira-kun."

"I'll come with you. I know where he left it." Sasuke said, following Hinata to the living room.

As they went to pick up Akira's toy kunai, Hinata's face reddened, suddenly remembering what Sasuke heard her say before Akira interrupted. Sasuke, in turn, smirked as he watched his only beloved.

"So, for the rest of your life huh?"

"U-u-um," Hinata stuttered as she picked up the tiny toy from the sofa, "W-w-well, I w-wanted to assure s-sensei that I'm not t-taking you for granted, a-and…"

The former heiress paused as she held the toy in her hands. Softly, she traced the smooth sides of the toy kunai, thinking back at what she said to her sensei. She wondered, if Sasuke really allowed her to spend the rest of her life with him, if she would be able to see a child of her own playing with toy kunais like Akira. A child that belonged to her and Sasuke.

She blushed harder at the thought, shaking her head while convincing herself that it's too much to wish for at the moment. Suddenly, she felt a pair of warm strong arms wrapping around her torso. Sasuke leaned his chin on Hinata's right shoulder, inhaling the sweet lavender scent from her long midnight-blue hair. Hinata sighed, relaxing into Sasuke's warm embrace, forgetting that they're not the only ones in the house. They stayed in that position for what seemed like hours, until Sasuke finally broke the peaceful moment.

"Would you really stay with me forever? Even when I don't deserve you, even when I'm far from perfect, would you really stay forever?" he mumbled into her neck, his warm breath tickling her.

Hinata could trace the slight nervousness and doubt in his tone. Smiling, she reached for both his hands and gently held onto them in assurance, turning her head slightly to look at the Uchiha in the eye. Her determined lavender-white hues met his unsure dark onyx ones.

"What I said before is real, Sasuke-kun. Even if I have to fight against everyone else, my clan, my friends, my superiors, even if I have to crawl my way towards you, even if the whole world is against you, I would stay with you no matter what happens. I can no longer imagine a good life without you in it. I want to stay forever with you and you alone, okay? So please don't doubt me anymore, Sasuke-kun."

The Uchiha's dark eyes shifted, showing less doubt and more softness and affection towards its counterpart. Sasuke closed his eyes, burrowing his head further into her neck. And then, he mumbled against her neck in a very soft tone that Hinata could barely catch. But she knew what he said, and even if he wouldn't say it out loud, she knew exactly how the Uchiha felt for her. And it no doubt made her all giddy inside.

Hinata closed her eyes, indulging into Sasuke's warm and strong embrace as he held her tighter into his chest.

Someday, Hinata thought, she would experience this kind of peaceful moment every morning when she wakes up. Into the arms of her beloved Uchiha.

And she hoped deep inside that it wouldn't be too far along.

Because she could barely wait for the day when she would finally and officially be by his side forever.

Unknown to the couple, Kurenai leaned behind the doorway as she watched her former student and "adopted daughter" leaning lovingly into the Uchiha's embrace. She smiled proudly, like a mother to her daughter, knowing deep inside her mind that a wedding wouldn't be too far along by now. She silently wished to Asuma that the heavens bless them with a long, happy life together.

"Mama! Where's Auntie Hina and mister Sasuke? I want my kunai!" Akira asked from the kitchen.

Kurenai sighed and left the couple alone.

"Akira, if you want to show mama your new moves, then I suggest you finish your pumpkin soup first. No toys on the dinner table, little man."

…

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Reviews are once again VERY welcome! They make great motivators! XD Anyway, next up is probably the MOST AWAITED chapter of all! And no, it's not the wedding (yet), but features the very person who's the number one anti-SasuHina supporter of the whole Narutoverse! That's right, folks! Neji Hyuuga is going to take over the world next chapter! So you better watch out and better not cry, coz Neji's coming to town to promote anti-SasuHina (just kidding)! XD


	14. News

**OPrincess ShinigamiO** here! With what? A new chapter of course! Yeah, it's been like a month again since I've last updated. But I'm glad to see that there are still several people who enjoyed reading this fic! For that I'm extremely grateful! The reason why I've been gone from FF for a while was because I kinda lost interest in fanfics for quite some time, mostly because my story alerts take a very long time to update which kinda drains me. And then I was recently into the Guilty Crown and Fate/Zero series, which is a really great pair of series! (If you haven't watched them yet, I suggest you do. Though if you're going to watch Fate/Zero, you sort of have to watch or learn about Fate/Stay Night too, since Zero is its prequel. But I have to say that Zero is MUCH much better than Stay Night. The animation is totally top-knotch, and the story and characters are riveting! And the songs... pure epicness!)

*ahem* Enough of my anime-advertising! For this chapter, as I've said before, this will focus on our favorite anti-SasuHina, NEJI HYUUGA! Not exactly part of the Friends' Point of View, since it isn't really anything deep. But this will settle matters between Neji and Sasuke, our beloved genius prodigies! Well... sort of. ;)

Of course, I can't go on without thanking my reviewers! I can no longer count the ones who reviewed for last chapter or the chapters before, which I apologize for for the umpteenth time. But know that I'll always appreciate and feel grateful for the reviews you all took the time for to write for my fic! Your reviews and positive feedbacks motivate me, and in return, I try my best to create entertaining chapters for you to like! So thank you once again! Stay with us, coz we're already halfway through with the fic! ;D

Disclamer: Of course I don't own. Would you rather I claim to be Masashi Kishimoto in disguise of a little girl like how (*spoilers*Obito pretended to be Madara*spoilers*)?

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N- News

…

"What the hell is he doing here?"

"Yes, Hinata-sama, why the hell is this _barbarian_ sitting right in front of me?"

"Barbarian huh? Like hell I'd like to sit in the same table with a girly cross-dresser."

"At least no one suspected that I was gay."

"S-Sasuke-kun, N-Neji-nii, p-please just cooperate. We're in public."

"Hmph."

"Hn."

It was a beautiful winter morning (well, it was supposed to be) when Hinata invited Sasuke to a lunch date in one of Konoha's most expensive family restaurants. Of course, the latter didn't know that her cousin, who also happened to be his number one nemesis when it comes to his relationship with Hinata, was also part of her plans for a lunch date.

Imagine the surprise of both men when the couple arrived at their reserved table only to find Neji already waiting for them. And almost immediately did things get awkward when their lunch date turned into a long-running glaring match.

And as expected, Hinata's plans for making them get along with each other ended up in a failure.

The timid Hyuuga began poking her fork at the suddenly unappetizing platter of steak, giving a few glances here and there between the two men she's closest with. The genius prodigies, however, were ignoring the mouth-watering (and very expensive) dishes in front of them and were practically itching to throw their knives at each other's faces. It was a silent war between the Sharingan and the Byakugan.

Hinata sighed, searching in her mind of a topic to start a conversation.

"U-um, s-so, how's the f-food, Neji-nii?"

Neji, for one second, turned his eyes away from the Uchiha and gave his cousin a smile.

"It's delicious, Hinata-sama. But for some strange reason," Neji turned back to his glaring competition with Sasuke, "I can't seem to enjoy it like I usually would."

Sasuke snorted and gave a smug smirk to his rival.

"Glad to know that I'm such a wanted presence here."

"If my being here makes your spine chill, Uchiha, then I'm also glad to be of your service."

Hinata sighed and shook her head dejectedly as the two men began staring each other off again.

"This isn't going well." Hinata thought to herself.

"Pardon my asking, Hinata-sama. But just what is your purpose for making me eat on the same table with the Uchiha." Neji asked, turning questionably to his cousin, "If you're thinking that we are going to get along this way, then I'm afraid that you've made a terrible assumption. It'll be a waste of my time to try and get along with this barbarian."

"Oh, so it's name-calling again huh cross-dresser?"

"Are you asking for a fight, Uchiha?"

"The question is: are _you_ asking for a fight, Hyuuga?"

"SASUKE-KUN! NEJI-NII! PLEASE SPARE ME!"

Both geniuses jumped in surprise as the former heiress's fists made contact with the table. The customers around them began glancing at their table in curiosity after the heiress's sudden outburst.

Hinata, on the other hand, was staring hard at the ground, her thick bangs shadowing her bright lavender-white eyes that threatened to spill some tears and her fists shaking in anger and embarrassment.

Taking a deep shaky breath, Hinata forced her tears to subside and glared at both men, who were both looking worriedly at her.

"H-Hinata?"

"L-look you two," Hinata began, crossing her arms together and forcing herself not to break off their eye contact, "I'm tired of having to play the mediator here. F-for so long, I kept wishing for you two to try to get along with each other. God knows how long I've tried to not make it just a wishful thinking. But whenever I tried to do something about it, you two would always end up beating each other up, verbally and physically."

Hinata paused, turning to focus on her wide-eyed cousin.

"Neji-nii, I know that you despise Sasuke-kun partly because he betrayed Konoha in the past and partly because he acts like, pardon me Sasuke-kun, a cold jerk. And because of that you're afraid that he would hurt me. Well, I'll have you know that I'm old enough to make my own decisions now. I'm not the weak little girl you used to bully in the past. So please, Neji-nii. I know that you're better than this, so please be your usual mature self and act like a grown-up."

Neji was completely rendered speechless. But his face held a little guilt of remembering the way he treated her in the past. Slowly, he nodded his head in defeat.

Slightly satisfied by his response, Hinata then turned to Sasuke, who still had his jaw dropped at the surprising action of his girlfriend.

"Sasuke-kun. I know it's hard to get Neji-nii's approval. But that doesn't mean that you have to taunt him all the same. You're just making matters worse, even I won't blame Neji-nii for disrespecting you. It might take up your pride, Sasuke-kun, but if you really care about me, then I suggest you stop this nonsensical behavior of yours and start thinking of how to really get Neji-nii's approval. If you want to act like a real man, then swallow your pride and stop being rude to Neji-nii."

Of course, Sasuke was beyond stumped when Hinata scolded him. He knew that ever since she took care of him, Hinata has become braver and more confident with her opinions. But he's rarely experienced a sudden outburst from her. Heck, she even reminded him of his own mother when he accidentally brought mud to her beloved kitchen. And that was one memory he didn't want to relive.

Hinata huffed and took in deep breaths after her long scolding. Realizing her actions, her face turned beet red in embarrassment. The people around them were staring at her, though she didn't realize that it was actually in admiration for her bravery to stand up for herself.

Hinata began stuttering, poking her fingers together and shaking in embarrassment.

"U-u-um. I-I-I'd b-better g-go ch-check myself… w-with th-the m-mirror a-and all… t-to s-s-see i-if I n-need t-to, um, p-powder my n-nose?"

Quickly, Hinata ran away from the scene and headed for the girls' comfort room.

The two prodigies, however, were left alone to ponder over Hinata's sudden outburst.

"… So."

"… Yeah."

"…."

"…."

Neji coughed lightly, annoyed at the suddenly heavy atmosphere that somehow felt different to when he and the Uchiha tried killing each other.

"As awkward as this feels, Hinata-sama is right. I've acted immature and did not put to mind her feelings of the matter. I acted on my own personal impulse and for that, I sincerely apologize for all the trouble I've caused you two."

"Wow, the famous almighty Hyuuga genius is apologizing to a _barbarian_ like me? That's really something." Sasuke said sarcastically. Neji, in turn gave him a warning glare.

"If you're not going to do your share, Uchiha-"

"Simmer down, Hyuuga. I was just joking."

"As usual, your jokes are all in bad taste."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and raised a hand up to stop Neji from retorting.

"Whatever, Hyuuga. Look, I apologize too. I admit I kind of did go overboard either. But I'm not going to take back the words I said. I meant every single damn thing. The only reason why I'm apologizing is because Hinata wants me to, and because she won't really be satisfied until you truly allow us to be together _without_ any retorts. If us… _getting along_ is what she really wants, then I'm not going to deny her that as long as she's happy."

Neji raised a delicate eyebrow, but smirked in turn at the Uchiha's "apology".

"Well, for once, we both have something to agree on, Uchiha. We both want Hinata-sama's happiness, so I suppose dealing with you in a less violent manner would be worth it." Neji paused, dipping his eyebrows down. "But I'm warning you, Uchiha. One single tear from Hinata-sama because of you, and I'll have your head on my trophy shelf."

Sasuke smirked. "I guess that's your approval then?"

"Not exactly. But I'm no longer getting in you and Hinata-sama's way anymore. She's had enough drama to deal with for the past year." Neji said as he sipped his tea.

"That I could deal with." Sasuke replied before taking a sip from his own tea.

Right after Hinata got her calm back, the former heiress was surprised at the suddenly calm atmosphere when she returned to their table. She found both men sipping their tea and eating their respective dishes peacefully. It was slightly awkward to be honest, but both men no longer gave off a threatening aura.

At least, it lessened a great number.

…

A few hours later, Neji arrived back home just to receive a phone call from Tenten.

"Hey, hon. How'd lunch with Hinata go? Heard from a reliable source that Sasuke was there too." Tenten greeted her boyfriend. Neji could practically hear the sharpening of her blades from the other line.

"I'll have to guess that that reliable source would be either Ino or Sakura. It went rather… amusing." Neji replied.

"Sakura. She was at the restaurant with her parents. And how in the world was it amusing?"

Neji smirked. "Let's just say that you won't be hearing any banters between the Uchiha and I for some time."

Tenten sighed from the other line. The blade sharpening stopped.

"That could mean a few weeks though. Maybe even days when all your goody-goody attitude melts down."

"Give us some credit, Tenten. We'll hold out." Neji's expression softened. "How's she doing?"

"Oh, her?" Tenten grinned and patted her slightly bulged stomach. "She's doing really well! For some reason, her cravings for chocolate suddenly transferred into strawberry cheesecakes. By the way, hon, pick up a dozen boxes of cheesecakes when you come by later okay?"

Neji sighed and rubbed his head as he heard Tenten's blades rubbing against each other. If he were smart, he would hold out from forcing her to stop playing with her kunais. But he supposed that that's what he gets for falling in love with the weapon mistress.

"I should really tell Hiashi-sama about our marriage plans now."

"Oh, speaking of which!" Tenten exclaimed. "Have you heard that Sasuke's going to propose to Hinata some time soon? I'm surprised you haven't mentioned it! Did he ask for your blessing or something?"

A pause. Blades sharpening. Crickets chirping. Blades clinking. Silence.

"… WHAT?!"

…

* * *

Hah! Did anyone even suspect about Tenten's pregnancy? I actually gave a very subtle hint during chapter L! (remember when Juugo visited?) XD

Anyway, reviews are once again ALWAYS welcome! Critiques, praises, suggestions, questions, anything will do! ;) Next chapter is quite... different. Why? Because we're going to tackle SasuHina's Road To Ninja personas! ;D


	15. Opposite

**OPrincess ShinigamiO** here! Okay, my laptop's acting a bit crappy right now, so I'm sort of not in a happy-go-lucky mood right now (I'm terribly sorry if it affected this chapter) But guess what? It seems that Japan will be launching a perfume inspired by Road To Ninja Sasuke! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? XD They say that the perfume's supposed to smell like roses, which is really really hilarious for me. I mean, really? The words "Sasuke Uchiha" and "perfume" (and "roses") in one whole sentence is clearly out of the question! Okay, maybe except when it's Charasuke (Rtn Sasuke), but really, it's still unbelievably funny for me! XD

Ehem, anyway, this chapter as I've said before is going to tackle SasuHina's Road To Ninja personas! (WHOOPEE!) *Ahem* Personally, I was really, I mean REALLY disappointed to see very little Road To Ninja fics. After the large craze and the sudden SasuHina/MenmaHina/whatever shippings popping up, I was really surprised to see only very few fics dedicated to the movie, ESPECIALLY SASUHINA! I mean, seriously, I think I encountered only one Rtn SasuHina fanfic (courtesy of personafour, thank you), so if any of you find any more even if it's not located in the fanfic web, please tell me asap!

Alright, of course I'd still like to thank those reviewers who reviewed just for li'l old me! I'd like to thank all those loyal readers out there, those who favorited, story-alerted, and most especially reviewed, thank you so much! I appreciate all your support from the bottom of my heart! And I'd like to mention that for the first time ever, at least one of you guessed the name of this chapter! (Yes, I'm looking at you Serene-Aspiration! ;)) I guess with the spoilers, this was probably the most obvious. So without further ado, please enjoy the latest chapter brought to you by, yours truly! ;)

Disclaimer: ROAD TO NINJA ROAD TO NINJA ROAD TO NINJA ROAD TO NINJA ROAD TO NINJA TOAD TO NINJA (wait, whut?) Okay, okay! I don't own. Happy?

* * *

_O- Opposites_

…

"Hinata-chan! Looking gorgeous as always!"

"Hinata-chan, are you free tonight?"

"Hinata-chan! We'd like you to be on the cover of next month's Konoha Models magazine!"

"Congratulations, Hinata-chan! You made it to the Top list of the Shinobi's Most Wanted Bachelorettes list!"

"Hey babe, wanna go to bed with me tonight?"

Hinata rolled her eyes at the last statement as she passed by the several people who practically kissed the ground she walked on. Sure, she's got everything; the perfect looks, the most curvaceous body, the riches, not to mention being the heiress of the most prestigious clan of the whole Leaf Village, and she's not afraid to flaunt it all. All the men drool after her, and all the girls dream of becoming like her. But that doesn't mean that she's just going to give her heart and body to just about anyone.

Well, unless if it's Menma.

The Hyuuga heiress flipped her perfect midnight-blue locks behind her shoulder. It was annoying enough that Menma kept running away from her advances. But now that he's no longer in Konoha, it was even more irritating that she no longer found anyone else worthy of her perfection.

"God, how annoying." Hinata muttered to herself after checking her perfectly manicured nails. "It's already boring enough roaming around the streets myself. Now I'm thinking about Menma again. Ugh, he better come back soon." She huffed as she passed by the Ichiraku Ramen Stand.

"Of all the days to have a day off, why isn't anyone around today?" Hinata scowled as she looked around the streets with clear annoyance. "Kiba's out on a mission with his annoying dog, and Shino just had to use this time to exterminate all the gross bugs in his house. Seriously, I really should find better friends."

Of course, she wouldn't dare go back home either. Training by herself would be boring. Hanabi was still stuck in her bedroom reading manga and other complicated medical novels, like the nerd she was. Neji, on the other hand… Hinata didn't even want to bother thinking about it. With her perverted cousin around, it's a wonder she and the other Hyuuga girls survived all these years living in the same household as him.

"Honestly," Hinata sighed, flipping her silky hair again, "They're so unbearable. Hanabi wouldn't even let me put a speck of makeup on her. Seriously, Hanabi could be such a Neanderthal. And I really should ask father to seal Neji's Byakugan. It's practically a crime to let him stay at home with all our servant girls around."

After a few more strolls, the (over)confident heiress gave up her search for company and sat at a nearby bench, letting any passerbys freely worship her in all her exhausted glory. The Yamanaka Flower shop was just nearby, but she knew that the timid Ino was out on a mission with her team. Hinata sighed, crossing her long flawless legs and lazily twirling a dark strand with one finger.

"Even Ino's company would've been welcome, shy and boring as she is. ANYONE's company would be fine, even that Sakura girl's. Seriously, can this day be any more boring?!"

"Hi~na~ta~!"

Oh shit.

Anyone but him.

"Uchiha… just great." Hinata groaned in annoyance as she heard the familiar calling from a certain Uchiha. She turned to see Sasuke Uchiha, the ultimate playboy of Konoha, leaving the Yamanaka flower shop with several roses and girls in his arms.

As much as Sasuke loved flirting around with any girl within his proximity, Hinata knew that she was the ultimate favorite of the Uchiha playboy, no matter how many times she rejected him. Come to think of it, maybe that was why he loved chasing her the most. She was the ultimate challenge, a feat he's never encountered before.

Just when the Hyuuga heiress stood up to walk away from the Uchiha and his fangirls, the said playboy began calling her name in the most sickeningly smooth fashion.

"Hi~na~ta! Wait up! I got a rose for you right here!" Sasuke called out with a goofy yet heart-melting grin as he excused himself from his fangirls, but not before blowing them a kiss, a wink, and a shower of red roses. Hinata rolled her eyes at the sight.

"Yeah, just like the rest of the girls." The heiress muttered as she began walking away faster before the Uchiha was through saying goodbye to his clamoring fangirls.

"Hinata, come on. Can't we talk for a little while?" Sasuke called out as he quickly caught up with the Hyuuga heiress and jogged beside her, flashing his signature smile that usually made the girls beg for his attention. Well, except for Hinata of course, since her smiles were the ones that made men beg for her attention.

Hinata growled at the Uchiha, refusing to look his way. "What do you want, Uchiha? I'm not in the mood for your failed attempts of flirting."

"Ouch. That hurts." Sasuke mimicked a heart attack, bringing a fist to his chest. Then he flashed another irrepressible grin. "As expected of the beautiful, unreachable Hyuuga heiress! You're too cute, Hinata!"

Unconsciously, the heiress began cracking her knuckles as a tick began twitching on her forehead.

"Uchiha, if you're here to annoy the shit out of me, then I suggest you go back to your beloved fangirls and drown them with your plastic roses. I'm sure they'll appreciate your presence MUCH more than I do. Honestly, I could never understand why they even want to be a foot near you when you smell like a bunch of dead flowers."

Sasuke's grin grew wider. "Ah? Is that jealousy I hear? Well, Hina-chan, I-"

The Uchiha playboy was interrupted when a fist made contact with his nose, causing him to fly into a nearby wall with a big "BAM". A bloodied crack appeared when the Uchiha slid down from the wall. The Hyuuga, on the other hand, was cracking her knuckles to prepare for another assault on the poor Uchiha.

"Go fuck yourself, Uchiha."

While the playboy was still incapitated, Hinata quickly ran away before she could do something she would regret. Of course, a few more beatings would've sufficed, and with the mood she was in, it was entirely tempting to murder the Uchiha while no one's around to stop her.

But her "goody-goody" side won her over for some reason, and she decided to let him see another day's light. Itachi, his oh-so-hot older brother, wouldn't be so happy anyway if she murdered him in clear daytime.

"Fuck that fucker! What a dobe!" Hinata cursed inwardly as she stomped angrily to whatever direction. "When will that idiot pervy playboy ever learn to give up?!"

Hinata paused, suddenly aware of her surroundings. The sun was already starting to set, and the empty alley she's currently at was getting ridiculously dark.

Hinata huffed, crossing her arms together as she observed her surroundings. "Great, just great. First, no one's around, then Sasuke of all people appears, and now I'm lost. Sages, could this day get anymore worse?"

"It depends on how you're looking at it, sweetie."

Alert, the heiress jumped, quickly poising herself ready for a Gentle Fist and activating her Byakugan just as a group of rogue ninjas immediately surrounded her.

The leader, a giant man with a shaved head and a large scar across his tanned face, grinned evilly at the Hyuuga.

"So, you're lost aren't you, princess? Well, my men and I would be glad to lead the way, if you please."

The rest of the men began chuckling darkly along with their leader. Hinata stood unfazed, her Byakugan-activated eyes slowly observing each men. All of them seemed to be wearing a hitae-ai with the Cloud symbol on them.

"You're rogue ninjas from the Cloud. What are imbeciles like you doing here in Konoha?" Hinata said in a demanding tone that would've made anyone cringe in fear. The leader, however, reacted the stark opposite, opting to guffaw in a loud, threatening roar.

"Touchy, aren't you? Seems like you're not one with only good looks… and a very tempting body," the leader paused to glance lustfully at her body with a perverted grin, earning an angry growl from Hinata, "you have the confidence expected of a Hyuuga leader. This will be good, very very good."

Hinata frowned. Suddenly things began to click. Once in the past, a Cloud ninja snuck into Konoha and into the Hyuuga Compound to kidnap her so that they could steal the secrets of the Byakugan. Fortunately, her father was able to stop them, and the Cloud held a grudge against the Hyuugas since then.

The brave, unfazed heiress growled at the leader.

"So, you're here to kidnap me? To attempt to steal the Byakugan again? Well, sorry to disappoint you dicks, but you're not getting anywhere."

"Smart girl." The leader grinned slyly. "Too bad, it's time to wake up from your pretty little dream world, Hyuuga princess!"

To this, the leader snapped his fingers. Immediately, his ninja cronies took out their weapons and swiftly jumped towards the heiress. Relying on her acute ninja senses, Hinata blocked their attacks with ease. Ducking from a kunai, Hinata quickly grabbed ahold of one of the cronies' arms and swiftly interrupted his chakra pathways, effectively paralyzing him. This action was repeated to the other cronies, to the point of successfully incapitating half of the enemy group in less than a minute. With her Byakugan, Hinata was able to predict her enemies' attack patterns, taking them down one by one without having her makeup ruined.

Unfortunately, her Byakugan wasn't able to catch the leader's kunai in time, which slightly sliced through her right arm. Suddenly, her arm felt numb, hanging limply by her side. Realizing too late that it was a poisoned kunai, Hinata cursed as she was slowly overwhelmed by the remaining rogue ninjas. With only her left arm to defend herself, Hinata struggled to keep up with the same pace she had before. Unable to keep her concentration off the cronies, Hinata could do nothing when another poisoned kunai shot through her other arm out of nowhere, effectively making both arms useless.

To this, the enemy ninjas were able to trap her and tie her up. The leader, appearing from his hiding place, grinned maliciously at the captured heiress. With the side effects of the poison coming into action, Hinata started seeing blurry red dots and stars as the leader came closer.

"It seems like you're nothing but all talk after all. I'm disappointed, princess. Nevertheless," the leader knelt down and crept his threatening face close to Hinata's, a large wicked grin spreading on his scarred cheeks, "we'll be sure to have lots of fun with you."

Immediately gagged before she could spit at his face, Hinata cringed in pain as the leader slapped her face hard before roughly catching her chin in a crushing hold with his large hand, dragging her face closer and closer to his-

"SHHHHNG!"

Suddenly, the black pupils of the leader's eyes rolled up, his head falling afterwards to Hinata's side. Despite the blurriness, the heiress could tell that a pair of shuriken were embedded behind his shaved head.

Feeling the poison's effects overwhelming her senses, Hinata could only make out the sounds of the ninja cronies' alarmed shrieks and the burning heat accompanying the bright blurry light exploding near her before she completely blacked out.

…

The first things Hinata felt when she woke up was the warm relaxing embrace that surrounded her body and the light fragrance of roses.

And then, the careful shuffling sound of shoes and the slightly rocky movement awakened her senses further. Slowly blinking, Hinata sighed softly as her vision slowly came back to order. The sky was already dark, and the full moon was fully up with the stars. The streets were already bare, and lights in the houses were lit up accompanied by the muffled sounds of children's laughter behind those walls. Then the tiny sound of chains hitting each other perked her ears, and as she lifted her eyes, a tiny pendant with the Uchiha symbol attached to a thin chain hung above her.

Blinking, the heiress's lavender-white hues slowly crept up to her carrier's face, only to find the last person she expected to see grinning lightly at her.

"Hey, sleeping beauty. You're finally awake. It's a good thing the poison those Cloud bastards used weren't life-threatening. They wouldn't want poison to affect the Byakugan, after all."

Hinata silently stared at the Uchiha's relaxed expression as he expressed relief to himself.

"… What happened?"

"Hm? Oh! I took care of those idiots for you, seeing that you needed help." Sasuke replied softly, keeping the smug grin on his face, "Of course, they were no match to me. After all, if my Hina-chan was in trouble, there's no way I'm letting them get away with it. You should've seen it Hina-"

"Okay, I get it, Uchiha." Hinata grumbled lightly, taking ahold of Sasuke's shirt and clutching it desperately.

"Haha, sorry." Sasuke chuckled, carefully adjusting Hinata in his arms. "Comfy? Anyway, after I dealt with them, I immediately brought you to the hospital. Luckily, Sakura was still working on her shift, so she quickly diagnosed you and took the poison out of your system. Like I said, the poison wasn't life-threatening, so you didn't really need to stay in the hospital too long. So I volunteered to bring you home to rest. The sedatives Sakura injected could still take effect later on. Don't worry, I'll explain everything to your father. You just stay put and rest, Hinata."

Hinata didn't have the energy to argue. The sedatives Sakura used were still affecting her system, slowly making her fall into deep sleep again. Before losing consciousness again, Hinata clutched Sasuke's shirt harder, with tears brimming on her half-closed eyes.

"… You're such an idiot. Stupid, persistent, chicken-ass head…"

As she fell back to her slumber, the edges of Sasuke's mouth lifted lightly.

"… You're welcome, Hinata."

…

"HAHH!"

Hinata woke up with a start, huffing as she took in her surroundings. The moon was still up, and the sounds of crickets chirping filled her ears. Tall trees and bushes were everywhere, and the sound of a river echoed nearby. The campfire lit earlier was still going strong.

The former heiress sighed, relieved to know that she was just dreaming. She remembered now that she was on a mission, something that had to do with rogue Cloud ninjas who stole a scroll from Konoha. And now she and her team were taking a well-deserved rest before continuing their mission in the morning. That is, she was until that strange dream woke her up.

"Hinata?"

Hinata turned to the man lying beside her, giving him a reassuring smile.

"It's fine, Sasuke-kun. I only had a weird dream. Go back to sleep. It's still Choji's turn to take watch."

The Uchiha frowned with uncertainty, quickly sitting up and observing their surroundings just in case. After confirming to himself that there was no danger, Sasuke nodded and faced his beloved.

"A weird dream huh?"

Hinata nodded slowly, slightly embarrassed for waking Sasuke up.

The former avenger, however, just smirked and gathered the Hyuuga into his arms, resting his chin on her dark locks.

"Want to sleep like this? It might help you rest better." Sasuke said with a hint of tease in his voice. Immediately, Hinata's face began heating up, but she conceded to his embrace anyway, lying back down to their covers.

"S-sorry, Sasuke-kun… Thank you."

As she fell back to her slumber, the edges of Sasuke's mouth lifted slightly.

"… You're welcome, Hinata."

...

* * *

Reviews are always welcome, once again! Next up... um, what was it again, oh yes! We'll have a word with both of our favorite couple's siblings! It's either going to be a two-part for each sides or just one long chapter, so hold on tight! ;)

*By the way, for those who don't know, Menma is the alternate version of Naruto Uzumaki from Road To Ninja. He's also known to somewhat be Dark Naruto.


	16. Peace and Pressure

**OPrincess ShinigamiO** here! And whoa, am I being early or what? Yeah, I had some time to spare, with exams over and all. And here I was, bored at home, trying to think of a wedding gown design for my older sister, who's obviously getting married (so happy for her! ;)) And because of that and for the success of my last chapter, I'm gonna give you the longest chapter of the drabble (up to date, that is)! ;D

Okay, so maybe one of the reasons why it's long is because I'm tackling both Itachi and Hanabi's point of views in this chapter. (Hehe. ;)) This is also the first chapter to have two titles. Some SasuHina fluff on the way! Come to think of it, I haven't given them their first kiss yet... ;)

Of course, I'll never ever ever forget to thank all those who reviewed! I got several positive feedbacks from the last chapter, which probably means that I did a good job with their RTN personas! So thank you for all your support! Hope that this chapter'll entertain you like before! So, without further ado, let's get on with our favorite pairing's siblings' points of view! ;D

Disclaimer: Don't own. It's already frustrating enough to know that SasuHina might never happen in the canonverse. :(

* * *

P- Peace/Pressure

…

_(Itachi Uchiha)_

Being in Heaven isn't all what people thought it would be. When I was still alive, my mother told me that Heaven was a place where nobody would need to eat or sleep, and where nobody would ever feel pain and sadness any longer.

But the last part wasn't entirely true. Sure Kami in Heaven no longer allowed any demons to harm us physically. And as long as our loved ones (and new ones) were around, why would anyone feel lonely and depressed?

Mother and father are with me, as well as several from the Uchiha clan. And yet there are people who aren't so lucky, of course, but it's too late to feel sorry for them.

I am happy, truly I am.

But the happiness I feel right now isn't as fulfilling as I hoped it to be.

No, there is but only one more person who could fill this hole inside me.

Being dead could have its advantages. It allows us to see what's happening in the world below us, the mortal world. In the skies of Heaven, Kami lets us see our mortal loved ones go on about their lives if we wished it. Although it could've been better not to, the thought of seeing my little brother kept nagging my mind for several days (there were no more nights, after all).

So at this day, I climb one of the many mountains Heaven has, extend my hand to the pure white clouds above me, and murmur my wishes to see Sasuke's current life.

As the clouds swirl above me, I sit down on the golden ground, questioning yet again whether this is the right thing to do. I didn't notice mother joining me to look at the sky.

"I never would've thought that the next time I decide to watch a movie, I would be watching it in the sky. And what more, a drama featuring my very own son." Mother giggles lightly, flipping her long dark hair behind her shoulder. "You're very brave to do this, Itachi."

"Mother," I sigh, never taking my eyes off the forming sky, "I highly doubt that you will be entertained seeing your son suffer right before your eyes."

"Which son are you referring to, son?" she says, and I see her raise an eyebrow teasingly at me from the corner of my eye, "I don't recall teaching you to be pessimistic. Who knows? Maybe my baby boy has finally had his life turned around."

Mother shrugs, turning her eyes to the sky. I am honestly quite surprised. My worrywart mother, who has been a sucker to daily night soap operas, seems very confident with Sasuke's current well being.

Maybe it's her "mother's instinct". But who knows? I'll never understand women like her.

At long last, the clouds cease swirling in the bright golden sky. In the middle of them all, a tiny light shines through. Slowly, the light shows a blurry image of the earth. Another burst of light conceals the clouds, and when it cedes, the clouds finally show my foolish little brother with a girl, having a relaxing picnic in the training grounds.

Wait. What?

"OH MY FRIGGIN' KAMI!" Mother suddenly squeals, jumping up from her seat in excitement and quickly covering her mouth in apology to Kami before leaping all around me like the fabled Easter Bunny. "I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT!"

….. Huh. This is a surprise. In the scene revealed to us, it shows of Sasuke lying down on a bright purple blanket with a single plate of tomato sandwiches right beside him, with his head on top of the brunette girl's lap. His companion, on the other hand, seems to be leaning on a tree, taking a light nap herself. I guess right away that their training earlier has been quite… intense.

I squint my eyes to look at the girl closely. She seems slightly familiar, someone I might have saw or heard of, but I fail to recall her name.

My mother, on the other hand, is currently trying not to pee in her dress in sheer excitement. No longer able to contain it, she begins screaming in the sky repeatedly about finally having a daughter-in-law.

"Simmer down, mother. We may be in a good place now, but I don't think our fellow companions would like their ears shattered by your excited screaming."

"Oh hush you! Nobody gets hurt here anymore. Besides, can't I express my excitement for having a son WHO IS FINALLY INTERESTED IN HAVING A GIRLFRIEND?"

With her fists on her hips, mother looks at me pointedly in accusation like a child caught stealing candy. I roll my eyes at this.

"I think it's a little too late for me to find interest in marriage, mother. I made my choice, and I don't regret anything."

Mother continues looking at me suspiciously.

"… I'm not gay."

"That's not the issue here, son!" she huffs, crossing her arms together, "The point is, instead of spending all your life doing dangerous missions, inevitably killing us," she narrows her eyes, "and then using the last of your time taunting your little brother into killing you, which is still a stupid idea for me, you could've at least searched for a girl to settle down with instead of those damned Akatsuki! Why you decided not to live peacefully with a pretty little wife still baffles me…"

"Mother," I shake my head in exasperation, "Let's just forget about me and concentrate on your other son. He, on the other hand, hasn't failed you just yet."

"Hm, such a disappointment," she sighs, sitting back down and plastering a wistful expression on her face, "That Mei girl you used to have a huge crush on could've been my daughter-in-law. Such a sweet girl…"

I frown at the memory. True, I did love a girl once. She was a classmate of mine during my first year in the Academy. Even when I graduated ahead of her and was kept busy by the several impending missions imposed on me, she never once failed to brighten my spirits up whenever we had the time to see each other. She was, aside from Sasuke, one of the happiest memories I've ever had in my entire living.

The only reason why I didn't decide to pursue Mei was because of my duties as an Uchiha. If I married her back then, she would've ended up being killed along with the rest of the Uchihas. And if I didn't kill my foolish little brother, I don't think I could have done the same to her. It would've been too traumatizing for her to bear if I let her live anyway.

It was safer to let her go before I'd regret it.

I just hope that Sasuke would not have the same predicament as I had.

"Oh, oh look!" Mother squeals and points at the scene recorded in the sky. It's obvious that she's enjoying every single moment she's witnessing, since it concerns her living son's love life, "Is he doing what I think he's doing?"

I raise an eyebrow. In the sky's image, it seems that Sasuke has awakened from his light slumber, opting to stare at the girl's sleeping face unnoticed. His dark orbs soften at the sight, the corners of his lips slightly move upward. Reaching out a hand, he softly caresses the sleeping girl's cheek, very careful as to not disturb her. It is honestly quite a touching and very sweet scene to watch, I'm tempted to forget about my worries about him.

After all his years filled with hatred, which was regrettably my doing, it's quite surprising to see Sasuke looking like all of his past never happened at all. Yes, I did wish for him to one day find peace within himself and to never give up on his friends. But early on, I never did expect my dark little brother to fall-

"IN LOVE! MY BABY BOY IS IN LOVE! AND WITH A STRIKINGLY BEAUTIFUL LADY, NO LESS!"

I sometimes wonder how father ever survived with mother by his side almost 24/7.

No, I wonder why he opted to marry her at all.

"Oh, my precious little boy," mother sniffs, wiping a tear falling out of her eye, "He's finally growing up into a real man. Oh, Sasuke, my little boy. Please don't screw this up like how your stupid older brother did."

"In what way would he be screwing up, mother? They're not even doing anything yet."

"You're right, Itachi. This isn't enough! A man needs to be more aggressive, like a tiger chasing its prey! GO KISS HER YOU IDIOT!"

"Mother, that's not what I meant…"

"Oh, oh! Hush, Itachi! I think he's really going to do it!" Mother flaps her hand at my face before curling it into a fist to contain her glee. I shake my head and give a sigh.

Sorry, little brother. It seems that our mother has made it her personal goal to watch your supposedly private love life unfold like her daily dramas.

Not like I'm doing any better though.

I turn my head to the scene. Sasuke is shown to have sat up from his position, sitting directly in front of the still sleeping girl. He still retains the calm, loving expression on his face, something that I find to be so unusual.

After all, ever since I betrayed him, he always looked at me with pure hatred in his eyes.

His hand of which was still carefully caressing the girl's face slowly slides down to the tip of her chin. The sleeping girl turns her head slightly, but still not waking. She quietly mumbles something incoherent, which apparently Sasuke understood, since his lips began to form a smirk.

"Hinata, are you actually dreaming about me?" he whispers rhetorically.

Ah, Hinata. The young Hyuuga heiress. So that's who you ultimately fell for, little brother. An unusual yet fitting choice.

The girl, Hinata Hyuuga, unconsciously sighs, lifting her own lips into a tiny satisfied smile.

To this, Sasuke gives a low chuckle, tracing the outline of her slightly pink lips before moving closer and closer to her face.

Words cannot describe how terribly happy my mother was, and how terribly sorry I felt for Sasuke for having this private moment invaded by our watching eyes. I sigh in exasperation as my dear mother decided to roughly shake me back and forth while harshly stomping repeatedly the golden ground like a child having a tantrum. Only the difference is that she's rather excited than angry.

I place a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to pull her away from the scene.

"Mother, I think Sasuke's been embarrassed enough, unconsciously. Let's stop before-"

"NO!" Mother slaps my hand away, never taking her eyes off the scene. "Just a teeny wee bit more and I'll be satisfied for the rest of eternity."

I sigh again. Of course that's a lie. She'll never be satisfied until Sasuke marries and has kids or even grandkids. And she'll make sure to witness every single important moment of Sasuke's life if it's the last thing she'll do.

But I concede anyway and turn back to the scene unfolding before us. I guess I'd rather face a hundred times Sasuke's full hatred than to have my mother angrily screaming at my ear for the rest of eternity.

Before he was close enough to kiss her, Sasuke pauses and decides to breathe in the Hyuuga's scent instead. I could see my mother pout slightly at the corner of my eye, but I ignore it and concentrate on the scene again.

That's when Hinata decides to wake up. Slowly blinking her pale white eyes as if waking from a beautiful dream, her face suddenly turns into a bright shade of red seeing the close proximity of Sasuke's face to hers.

"S-S-Sasuke-kun?!"

Immediately, her forehead accidentally bumps hardly into Sasuke's, making him cringe slightly and fall backwards. The Hyuuga then stutters out apologies repeatedly, crawling closer to Sasuke to inspect his head.

"I-I'm s-so sorry, Sasuke-kun!"

"Tch, don't worry about it. It doesn't hurt, though I never thought your head would be that hard." Sasuke says, rubbing the bridge of his nose gently.

"S-sorry, Sasuke-kun."

"Stop apologizing, Hinata. I thought you were past that already."

"S-" Hinata quickly stops herself, bowing her head in embarrassment as her midnight blue locks curtain her flustered face. "I-it's just that, your face was so close, a-and I thought-"

"That I was gonna kiss you?" Sasuke finishes for her, plastering a smug expression on his face and resting his head on his fist. "Believe me, I was very tempted to take advantage of you."

To this, Hinata's face turns slightly darker, slowly lifting to look at Sasuke's.

"U-um, is your head okay?"

Sasuke smirks. "I told you, it's fine. The question is, is yours alright?"

Hinata slowly nods, shyly bowing her head yet again. Curious, Sasuke raises an eyebrow in disbelief before lifting his fingers to slightly push aside her bangs. Sitting in the middle of her forehead is a tiny red bump. Sasuke's eyebrows dip slightly.

"You said it doesn't hurt right?"

Hinata nods. "It's fine, Sasuke-kun. It'll disappear soon. I-"

To her (and our) surprise, Sasuke swiftly brings his face close to hers, and in one quick second, presses his lips directly on her forehead. Hinata's cheeks flush harder as Sasuke's lips linger on her head. I didn't have to look, but I could hear my mother's joyous squealing behind me. I'm afraid that if I did look, she would be rolling on the ground like a wine barrel rolling down a hill.

Not bad, Sasuke. Though if it were a kiss on the lips, it would've lasted our mother approximately a whole week instead of just three days, I estimate.

After a few more lingering seconds, Sasuke ceases and rests his forehead to Hinata's, taking yet another deep breathe to feel her scent. Silently, he murmurs something that only Hinata could understand.

Closing her eyes, Hinata smiles and slowly wraps her arms around Sasuke's neck to bring him closer until their noses touch.

"I'll never leave you. I never will for all eternity, Sasuke-kun. I promise." She whispers softly.

Satisfied, Sasuke sighs before closing his eyes with a smile to relish the moment.

"Alright, Itachi. Time to quit."

I blink several times, turning my head questionably to my mother, who is already standing and fixing her dress. She must've noticed my surprise, because she plasters on her trademark smirk (that looks frighteningly similar to Sasuke's) and rests her fists on her hips.

"What? You want to see more of those two being lovey-dovey? I've had my fair share of excitement, it's time to leave them alone."

"Huh. I could've sworn that you wanted so badly to see every move Sasuke makes on the Hyuuga."

"Well, of course I do. But even I know my limits." She says, flipping her hair behind her shoulder, "Besides, with what I've seen just now, I'm pretty sure that Sasuke has everything under control now. At least with that girl, I'm now rest assured."

As she says this, a soft motherly expression overwhelms her face. And then, I began to understand her purpose for watching the whole time. Just like me, all she wanted was a confirmation that Sasuke was finally free from his worries, and with Hinata Hyuuga, it was clear that his life would be steady from now on.

Feeling the corner of my lips lifting, I nod my head in agreement.

"Very well. It's about time we let Sasuke make his own future."

I, for one, am tired of creating a path of hatred for my little brother.

Mother grins, glancing at the image in the sky one last time before turning away and heading down the mountain.

"Alright then. Don't stay here too long, son. Your father might be looking for us now."

I watch her disappear down the cliff before turning to look at the sky once more.

The flustered Hyuuga is currently being teased to feed my surprisingly romantic brother with his tomato sandwich, with him looking all smug as he takes a bite out of the snack.

I raise a hand to the sky and wave it around. The clouds begin swirling with a bright light, concealing my little brother and his Hyuuga lover from my eyes.

As I trudge down the mountain, I couldn't help but chuckle lightheartedly.

It looks like I have absolutely nothing to worry about after all.

From now on, my foolish little brother will have no fear into finding his life's paths on his own. He will no longer have to worry about anyone criticizing his every move, not as long as Hinata Hyuuga's by his side.

Well, until mother comes back next week, that is.

…

_(Hanabi Hyuuga)_

I watch as my older sister waters the tiny tomato garden she decided to grow a month ago in the Hyuuga Compound's backyard.

It's quite unusual though, since this is the first edible plant she's decided to plant. I smirk inwardly. No doubt it was because of the uber hot Uchiha's influence.

Gardening has been a hobby of hers for a very long time. Father told me that our mother used to love gardening as well. Well, that is until she died from a terrible heart attack.

Obviously, my older sister inherited a lot of our mother's personality, like her love for gardening and her kind-hearted behavior. Kami, even their appearances look terribly similar.

Well, I honestly don't really remember much about our mother. She died when I was two, after all. But judging by the pictures father and nee-san occasionally showed me, she reminded me a lot like how nee-san looks right now.

And even when my father prefers training me over her, even as far as making me the next heiress of the clan instead of nee-san, I can't help but feel a little jealous of her.

Of course, I'm not saying that out loud. Nuh uh.

Nobody really knows this, and I myself have realized this just recently.

Maybe it's because she had a deeper connection with our mother, resemblances and all, which I obviously didn't have. She did spend some years with her, while I was still a mere baby when she left the world.

Or maybe, it's because nee-san's finally free from all the pressure the Hyuuga Elders are giving. Now that she's no longer the heiress, all the Elders are now focusing on me.

At first, I didn't know whether I resented her for that or not. But I suppose that was partially my fault, for being born with more talent than her.

Hey, I'm not trying to boast. I'm just repeating what father's saying.

Of course, one of the reasons why she's less capable is because of her kind personality, one of which was inherited from our mother. Come to think of it, maybe that's why I grew up tougher. From a young age, I never did really experience the tender loving care only a mother could give.

Not that father doesn't love us. He doesn't say it out loud, but nee-san assures me that he truly cares for us deep inside that hard, cold shell.

Yes, it's kinda hard to believe at first, after all that harsh training he gave us from a very young age. Train, train, train. That word almost took over my whole life. It's what I grew up to do. What I was taught to do.

And because of that, nee-san's heavy responsibilities are now passed down to me.

Sheesh, look at me. Silently envying my sister while she's innocently nurturing the tiny green vines on the dirt.

I shouldn't be thinking this at all. Don't I have everything now? I'm deemed stronger than my own nee-san, I have the title of being the rightful heiress of the Hyuuga clan, several of my Academy mates look up to me, and all the senseis compliment me for all the excellent work I accomplish.

But tell me, why do I feel slightly irritable when I see my sister smile so truly while she's covered in dust and mud?

Hm, the image sort of fits her in a metaphoric way, come to think of it.

We aren't exactly considered the best in the sibling category, mostly due to all the forced spars we had to do to outdo each other in our father's eyes. And yeah yeah, I admit that I'm not exactly the best little sister to her, bullying her and all.

But nee-san never held a grudge against me, no matter how bad I treated her (okay, now I'm feeling guilty). Instead, after losing a spar in front of the Hyuuga Elders, nee-san would always just plaster a smile to hide the pain she's feeling inside from me.

Even when everyone else kept criticizing her and putting her down for being a failure, even by our own father, nee-san never uttered out a complain. She took all their insults face on, even when it's crushing her deep inside.

Neji-nii told me that he used to hate her so much, even as far as nearly killing her during the Chuunin exam's preliminary round, because she was the reason why uncle Hizashi died. But after that Naruto guy defeated him during the Chuunin exams, he decided to have a change of heart and from then on did whatever he could to protect nee-san. (And in the process, me.)

And boy, he's doing an excellent job at being the overprotective big brother, it's ridiculous how he keeps doting on her as if she's the most precious china.

Geez, I wonder how Tenten-san feels when she goes out on a dinner date with both Neji-nii and nee-san.

In the garden, nee-san is currently washing herself with the garden hose. I glance at the wall clock behind me. It's ten o'clock. You know what that means?

It means that it's time for her to visit her precious Sasuke-kun.

Ugh, love. I'll never understand it. (And please don't associate me with that Konohamaru idiot. He never stood a chance, really.)

Even after a year and a half being together, I still found it funny that nee-san would fall for an Uchiha who used to infiltrate Konoha, murdered several people for the sake of his idiotic goal, and was kept in chains for a year. Really, the fact alone that nee-san fell for someone other than Naruto was a surprise.

I can't remember how long she doted for the idiot (and I still can't believe he saved the whole world and brought Sasuke back), and I honestly had no idea why.

Nee-san told me (with much difficulty, with her annoying blushing, stuttering, etc.) that he was the one who inspired her to be stronger, and for that she would be forever grateful to her first love. When she realized that Naruto could never love her the way she wanted him to, she merely accepted it and moved on with life, despite being depressed for several weeks.

Well, fortunately for her, she's found a hotter and saner replacement (nee-san scolded me for calling him that). Not to mention, he even decorated nee-san's own bedroom without her knowing! Really, for a timid and shy person, she got the ultimate jackpot, big time! (What? Dark, handsome rebels are kinda hot!)

Hey, I guess this is one of the reasons why I'm jealous. Maybe.

"Hanabi-chan?"

"Huh? What?"

I blink, realizing that I was lost in thought and that nee-san is already standing right before me right outside the pavilion. Her hands and feet are still wet from using the garden hose. She looks at me with our trademark white eyes, raising an eyebrow curiously at me (Seriously, she looks terribly like our mother).

"You had this strange expression on your face. And your tea has gone cold already. Is something bothering you, Hanabi-chan?"

I realize that she's right. The teacup in my hand has long gone cold. I put it down on the tray beside me, shaking my head and crossing my arms in response.

"Nothing's wrong, nee-san. Just thinking about that super hot boyfriend of yours of whom I'm sure you're going to meet up with right now."

As expected, nee-san turned into a bright shade of pink, stuttering about how I knew about their daily meetings. I roll my eyes and tell her that it was obvious since it almost happens everyday. Even father knows of it already. Frankly, I'm utterly shocked by the fact that he even allows it.

"A-ah, is that so?" she asks, poking her fingers together. That's one habit I haven't seen in awhile. I raise my eyebrow at this.

"So… you doing anything special with Sasuke Hot-chiha later on? Judging by your expression, there must be something interesting going on later on." I waggle my eyebrows slyly, like I usually do when I tease nee-san.

Again, nee-san begins stuttering. "N-n-nothing! N-nothing special! It's j-just that, w-we're supposed to h-have dinner with, um, Neji-nii and Tenten-san later on."

"Huh. Is that so? Poor guy. I don't get why you're still trying to make Neji-nii and Sasuke get along with each other, what more having dinner together."

"Tenten-san will be there, so it'll be less awkward, I hope. Besides, we wanted to personally congratulate Neji-nii and Tenten-san for the baby their expecting."

"Oh yeah. I almost forgot about that. She is getting fatter and fatter by the day."

"Hanabi-chan!"

"Yeah, yeah. I was just kidding, yeesh." I wave my hand nonchalantly. "By the way, nee-san, when are YOU planning to get laid?"

Again, her face burns even darker, I could practically see smoke coming out of her ears.

"H-H-Hanabi-chan… Th-that's quite i-i-inappropriate t-to ask…" she stutters.

I smirk slyly. "Oh, come on, nee-san. I'm pretty sure that even you're not immune to thinking perverted thoughts, especially with that boyfriend of yours. Besides, if Neji-nii, of whom we all know is quite reserved and responsible, could give in to the sweet temptation of sleeping with Tenten-san, then why can't you? Come on, nee-san. Just admit it. You've been having wet dreams about Sasuke, aren't you?"

"U-u-uh, u-um, a-ano, I-I-I, um-"

Overcoming the speed of light, nee-san quickly runs away with a squeaky "I'm late" excuse. I grin widely, imagining how Sasuke would look like when he sees her in that flustered state. Probably a turn on.

I stand up, pat the dust from my pants, and pick up my tray of cold tea.

Oh well. Nee-san sure is enviable right now. And here I thought that I had the perfect life.

Well, I suppose she deserves this, after all the problems she's been through. And I'm happy for her, truly I am. It's just so annoying that there are barely any guys right now who are awesome boyfriend materials as Sasuke Uchiha.

Hmm, maybe if all else fails, I might as well give in to Konohamaru after all.

* * *

Reviews are always welcome, once again! Next up would be... a little fun fest with friends! ;)


	17. Questions pt1

Question Time!

Alright, I'm sorry if you're expecting a new chapter. Gonna be a little busy, (and no, I'm not quitting on this fic if that's what you're afraid of) and though I've already had an idea of what the next chapter's about (look back at the first line!), I don't think I can complete it without your help!

So, without further ado, I'll get to the point. Sasuke's going to have a little boys' night out (courtesy of Naruto, of course. You'll never catch Sasuke organizing a bachelors' night on his own!), and the boys decide to question him about some stuff, mostly about Hinata. Now what you guys need to do is to send me some questions that I could pick out from, and I'll let Sasuke answer them for the next chapter! Good? No? Then don't ask.

Thank you for your cooperation! :D


	18. Questions pt2

**OPrincess ShinigamiO** here! Giving y'all the last chapter of the year 2012 before going home to celebrate the holidays with my family!

Unfortunately, it is also a very sad day for me, manga-wise. In this week's chapter of Naruto ***spoilers if you haven't read*** it has now revealed the death of one of my most favorite characters in the Narutoverse, the one and only Neji Hyuuga. :,(

RIP Neji (and to my NejiTen dreams *cries along with all the avid NejiTen fans*) We'll miss you very much! You have grown and became a very strong and wise ninja, and your death shall be avenged (NARUTO, YOU BETTER MAKE IT UP TO US!) In all of this, you have died with honor of saving the hero, and for that you become a hero yourself. Rest in peace with your father (and mother?) and be finally free from the wretched Narutoverse. (The only thing I hate about you is for leaving Tenten all alone.) The Might Gai team, as well as the rest of the groups, will never be the same again. :,(

*Phew* So! Let's lighten things up by reading this little chappy! I tried finishing it before I left for home, and I'm glad I did it in time. I might have a little mistakes here and there (I'm a bit rusty these past few weeks), but I still hope you'll enjoy! Of course, Neji's death has nothing to do with my world, so of course he's still here! (REJOICE NEJITEN FANS! WE STILL HAVE FANFICTION!) And of course, a little bitty SasuHina fluff in the end? ;)

Also, thanks to all the reviewers who participated into giving me questions to go on with this chapter. I'm sorry to not have included a lot (partly because I kinda felt lazy, ehehe), but I appreciate all your enthusiasms! Thank you very much and I hope you'll continue to support my story! ;D

Disclaimer: If I owned, I would NEVER EVER kill off Neji! Kishimoto-sensei, you bastard! DX

* * *

It was one winter evening when Naruto invited himself (ambushed) into Sasuke's home, his hands full of boxes of ramen and buckets of sake, much to the latter's disdain. Since Hinata was helping out Ino and Sakura, Naruto wasted no time to plan the perfect BNO (okay, more like a Boys' Night In), inviting all the other boys from their batch. Of course, the lone Uchiha wasn't happy with this arrangement, vowing to murder the blonde dunce one day. But the Kyuubi would not take no for an answer, as always.

So there they were, circled around a tiny round table in the Uchiha Mansion's spacious living room, with a tiny fishbowl and a bunch of papers sitting on the table.

"Naruto, what is the meaning of this?" Neji asked, raising a delicate eyebrow as the blonde started handing out pens and papers to each person.

"Yeah. I thought we were here to interrogate the Uchiha?" Kiba asked, ignoring the death glare coming from the said person.

"We are!" Naruto grinned slyly. "I'm just taking precautions."

"You dobe. I will seriously consider killing you in your sleep." Sasuke growled.

"What? And make Hinata hate you for life? Not a chance, Sasuke-teme!"

"Hahaha! Nice one, Naruto!" Kiba laughed, slapping his thighs in pure glee. Sasuke clenched his fists, chanting to himself that Hinata wouldn't appreciate seeing blood all over his living room.

"How troublesome. Let's just get this done." Shikamaru yawned from his lying position next to Choji, who was enjoying all the ramen Naruto bought in place of the absent chips.

"I don't understand." Sai commented, staring blankly at the pen and paper on his pale hands. "How is this supposed to be a precaution?"

"Well, it's true that we're going to bombard Sasuke with some questions." Naruto paused to give a short evil grin at his best frenemy. "But having to ask him personally wouldn't make us entirely safe, if you know what I mean."

"Aha! I believe I understand, Naruto-kun!" Lee exclaimed, holding up his pen and paper like sacred sacrifices. "We write down our questions in this paper and mix them up in this beautifully-fragile fishbowl! That way Sasuke-kun will not know who wrote what!"

Naruto grinned and gave a thumbs up. "Exactly, Bushy-brows!"

"You can't really call it a precaution though. Even if Sasuke doesn't know who's writing which, he'll probably attack us all anyway." Shino said.

"Eh, Shino has a point, Naruto." Kiba nodded, reaching to scratch his face tattoos. "He'll probably murder us all for agreeing to sabotage his quiet night alone."

"Oh come on, spoilsports! We can deal with that later! Right now, let's start thinking of a question, dattebayo!"

"Hold it, dobe." Sasuke frowned. "Who said that I'm agreeing to all this? Like hell I'm going to answer any of your questions, which I'm suspecting is mostly perverted."

"Oh come on, teme! Just let loose for tonight!" Naruto pouted for a second, before quickly transforming his disappointed face with a smug one. "Besides, I don't think it'll look manly of you if I tell Hinata all of your most embarrassing secrets. And some I even have photos to prove that they really did happen!"

Sasuke growled exasperatedly. Although being embarrassed in front of Hinata was nothing new to him (especially with Naruto around), he knew that the blonde dobe and his friends would always find an alternative to back up their blackmails, may it be locking the Uchiha in his bedroom for all eternity or snooping around his home for more blackmail material.

And it's not that he could freely massacre them either. One wrong move seen by the villagers, and he will be reported to the Hokage for returning back to his violent roots. Not to mention, he'll be in hot water when Hinata returns.

Sasuke sighed in frustration. Shikamaru was right. This was definitely troublesome. It's better if he got over it quickly before any damage could be done.

"Three questions only. No more and better if less. I can choose whether to answer them or not, especially when it concerns anything perverted."

"But, teme! If we agree to that, we'll never get any answers from you!"

"How about a deal, Uchiha?" Kiba smirked. "Five questions, and everything should be answered clearly. In exchange, we won't bother you and Hinata during your free time for the next five months. Unless if it's important of course."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "A question a month? And how am I supposed to know that you'll keep your word, Inuzuka?"

"Look, I never break my promises, and so does Shino. Ask Hinata herself. She'll tell you that we're perfectly honest people." The dog-lover grinned smugly, showing off his canine fangs.

"I'm still not quite satisfied." Sasuke murmured loud enough for everyone to hear. To this his eyes crawl to Neji's direction.

The Hyuuga glared dangerously at the Uchiha. "Normally, I wouldn't agree to this nonsense. But Tenten and I will soon have our baby to take care of, so consider your five months free of our time." His eyebrows dig deeper as his white eyes nearly go into Byakugan mode. "But that doesn't mean that I will stop watching over Hinata-sama's well-being. Even if you are already planning to have her hand in marriage, I will not allow you to let Hinata-sama get into harm's way. Or I promise you, I will castrate you, rip out every single organ of yours, and burn them until you become nothing else but filth on the ground."

The Uchiha returned the glare, then rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Geez, thanks for your unending trust, _nii-san_."

"I suggest you never ever call me that or I will have your head rolling."

"Good. Coz saying it like some respectful little boy gives me shudders on my spine."

"Wait wait WAIT! HOLD ON! WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!" Naruto screamed out, flailing his arms in shock. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at his blonde teammate.

"What? Were you deaf the whole time, dobe?"

"I HEARD EVERYTHING, DAMMIT!" Naruto pointed accusingly at the Uchiha. "WHAT I WANT TO KNOW IS WHY YOU NEVER TOLD ME ABOUT YOUR PROPOSAL TO HINATA?!"

"That's because it didn't happen yet." Sasuke rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Besides, even if it did happen, you're the last person I'd ever want to find out."

"WHAT?! BUT I'M YOUR TEAMMATE! I DESERVE TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR PLANS WITH HINATA!" Naruto wailed exaggeratedly, then turned to Kiba and Shino. "What? Did you both know about this too?!"

"Nope. Found out the same time you did, but less surprised." Kiba snorted, then pats Sasuke hard on the back, much to his chagrin. "Congrats, Uchiha! I always knew that you had it in you!"

"Yes, congratulations Sasuke. You have both our blessings as Hinata's teammates." Shino adds, nodding his head slightly at the Uchiha.

"I don't need both your permissions to marry Hinata, but thanks I guess." Sasuke replied.

"Ah! How wonderful! Another one of our fellow youthful allies is going to marry the love of his life! Hinata-san will surely blossom like a beautiful rose during the wedding!"

"Doesn't she always?" Sasuke mumbled to himself.

"Yeah, that's great. Now can we get over this interrogating thing and go home? I still have a lecture to attend tomorrow afternoon." Shikamaru droned, scratching the back of his head in disinterest.

"What?! I'm surprised that you aren't even blinking an eye, Shikamaru!" Naruto complained.

"What can I say? I already expected this." The genius replied.

"WHAT?!"

"Come on, Naruto. You know him." Choji smiled with his mouth full of noodles. "He always knows when something big's going to happen. Besides, Shikamaru's getting married himself, so it's no surprise for him to know whether another one of us is planning to go down the aisle. With a large wedding buffet, I hope."

"It's not as simple as that." Shikamaru replied lazily. "I just heard it from Kurenai who's already expecting the proposal for the last four months. Guess now I have some good news to stop her overexcitement."

"Smart bastard…"

"I hate to interrupt, but I also have some clan business to deal with this morning. So can we please start already?" Neji said, crossing his arms in impatience.

"Okay, okay. Sheesh!" Naruto rolled his eyes, calming down from his initial shock. Plastering up a grin, the blonde ninja raised his pen in the air like a flag.

"Alright! Let's begin our question time with Sasuke! Time starts now, dattebayo!"

And then they wrote. For the next three minutes, the sounds of tapping, scribbling, and munching were the only sounds heard from the men. Until finally, all the men placed their pens down, folded their papers, and dropped them into the fishbowl.

Naruto grinned excitedly as he lifted up the bowl to shake it.

"Alright! I'm picking the first question! Who's gonna read it?"

"I volunteer." Everyone looked at Sai, surprised that the emotionless ANBU decided to speak up. But nobody prodded him for his reasons.

"Um, okay then. Alright, Sai! Here's the first question!" Naruto held out a tiny folded paper, handing it to the pale ninja.

Gently, Sai unfolded the piece of paper, scanning the tiny scribble of words imprinted on the grainy surface. Sasuke sighed in exasperation, expecting the worst.

"What makes Hinata-san a much better match than Sakura?" (butterflyV)

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, his face mixed with annoyance, surprise, and disbelief.

"I think I don't need to answer that."

"Oh come on, teme! We just want to hear it from you!"

"Yeah, Sasuke. I mean, Hinata's smoking hot and all (please don't kill me, Neji and no, Sasuke, I'm not in love with her) but you could've had anyone in your obnoxious little (okay, ginormous) frilly-dilly fan club anyway. What? Was she just a challenge for you at first or did you really just plain like her?" (RenjiRulez5986)

Sasuke smirked, observing everyone around the table. Seems that everyone was curious with his answer, even if Neji and Shikamaru weren't really obvious.

"Hn. Let's just say that Hinata's someone who makes life a total breeze for me. I don't mean it in an abusing way, mind you. All I'm saying is that she's the only one who could make me relax and not worry about anything else despite everything. Except for her, that is."

"Aha, so you really did like Hinata-san then!" Lee exclaimed with a proud thumbs-up.

"I'm glad to know that. Otherwise…" Neji said pointedly, giving a warning glare towards the Uchiha, who returned the glare in turn.

"Yosh! I'm next!"

After shaking up the bowl with much enthusiasm, Lee dipped his hand down and pulled out another piece of paper, handing it to Sai with a grin.

Nodding politely, Sai opened the paper, his face still betraying no hint of emotion.

"How far have you and Hinata-san gone?" (Milladragon)

To this, half of the group began coughing awkwardly, while some resorted to scratching their necks or blushing slightly.

The Uchiha, on the other hand, was trying to debate whether or not to use his Amaterasu on that dreaded bowl of paper. Neji began cracking his knuckles, threatening everyone around him with his activated Byakugan.

"… "

"I'm sorry, but I don't understand." Sai commented, clear confusion written on his face. "What does this question mean?"

"Um, er, eh… oh, how should I explain this?" Naruto mumbled, scratching his head awkwardly. "Shikamaru! You're the genius! Go and explain to him!"

Shikamaru frowned, sighing lazily as he sat up from his lying position before turning to Sai.

"I guess you're still not up to date with the terms here, huh? Basically, someone in this group was brave (or foolish) enough to ask Sasuke whether he and Hinata have already gone so far as to have sex."

"Oh."

"Let's move on."

"Wait! Sasuke, you haven't answered yet!"

"Is it so important that all of you should know about my sex life?" Sasuke growled in frustration. Really, these boys are such… boys.

"Just spill it out, Sasuke. Everyone here's probably done it before. Well, maybe except for Lee, Naruto, and Shino." Kiba said.

"Tch, you want to know so bad? Fine. We've only had our first real kiss two weeks ago."

Unmanly gasps could be heard around the table, mostly coming from Naruto, Lee, and Kiba. Neji humphed in hidden relief.

"… Sasuke…. You've never had sex before?" Naruto asked.

"Why? It's not like you had either, dobe."

"That's not the point! You, on the other hand, already have a super nice girlfriend! You don't really have an excuse not to get her laid!"

"Naruto…"

"Oops! Hehe, sorry Neji- Ow!"

"Moving on. I will be next." Shino said. Sasuke sighed in relief, thanking the weird bug-user silently for stopping this nonsense.

After dipping his hand inside the bowl, Shino brought out the third paper, handing it to Sai who smiled pitifully at his blonde friend.

"Since it's revealed recently that you are planning to propose, when do you plan to wed Hinata-san?" (supremekikay24)

"That, I'm not entirely sure, though even if I am, I'd rather not tell." Sasuke said.

"Come on, Sasuke! Even so, you can't hide it forever! At least tell us how early you'd want it to be!" Kiba said.

"I'd prefer to marry her as soon as possible, if that's what you'd like to hear."

"That's so corny, Sasuke. Just tell us what season you're most likely gonna marry her?"

Sasuke frowned. "Probably during the spring, since Hinata loves that season. But as late as it is, I'd prefer it to be winter, more specifically a blizzard, so that no one would be able to go."

"_Yeah, right. We'd probably elope to a far away place where none of you could disturb our peace."_ Sasuke thought smugly to himself.

"You're so cold."

"Thank you very much."

"Alright! Neji! It's your turn!"

Neji frowned, annoyance obviously plastered on his face.

"Hn, fine."

Unfortunately, it took him about three cruelly torn papers to finally land a good question ("If I find out who asked when, where, or how the Uchiha sleeps with Hinata-sama, I will lock them up in the same room with a VERY pregnant Tenten for the next twenty four hours." "Ouch. Moodswings and weapons in one room. That sucks…")

"Here it goes, Uchiha. if you had to explain how much you love Hinata-sama, then how? (The Masked Idiot)"

….

"What did you say then?" Hinata asked, amusement showing through her soft giggles.

The pair was lying around the couch, with the tired Uchiha's head on the Hyuuga's lap. Luckily for Sasuke, the former heiress's mission was a breeze. So when Hinata arrived at the Uchiha compound to give her beloved a surprise visit, the former avenger was so grateful to have a reason to kick out the annoying men out of his home.

It wasn't long before a slightly surprised Hinata convinced Sasuke to tell her everything that happened during the boys' night in his house.

"I didn't say anything, thank Kami. Those annoying brats really need to grow up and stop playing these stupid games."

Hinata sighed, pouting to show a bit of her disappointment.

"That's when I arrived, wasn't it? Oh, I'll apologize to Naruto-kun and the others for interrupting."

"Hinata, there's nothing to apologize about. Believe me when I say that I'm absolutely grateful that you interrupted the stupid get-together."

"Now, Sasuke-kun. They're still your friends you know."

"Hn."

A few silent moments went by as Sasuke closed his eyes in relaxation while a thoughtful Hinata continued softly combing the Uchiha's dark strands.

"… Sasuke-kun."

"What?" Sasuke murmured, a bit annoyed at the broken peace.

"What would you have said. I-I mean, um, how much do I really mean to you."

"I don't think you're ignorant to the answer."

"I-I know!" Hinata exclaimed in embarrassment, a tint of pink sprinkled on her pale cheeks, "Um, I-I just want to hear it straight out from you."

The Uchiha was silent, his dark eyes opening to look at Hinata's pearly whites in deep thought. Finally, he sighed audibly and closed his eyes again.

"… In this life. You're the one I truly care about." He murmured in a very inaudible tone, which Hinata luckily heard.

The Hyuuga sighed, knowing that Sasuke was never one who will ever speak in romantic poetic verses. But she smiled anyway, because those little words that might not hold much meaning to others, were enough to see how much Sasuke loved her. Hinata slowly leaned down, giving a tiny soft peck on the tip of the Uchiha's nose. In turn, Sasuke's lips slightly turned upward in satisfaction.

After all, making the supposedly cold-hearted Uchiha tell someone else out loud that he cared was something nobody else could ever do.

* * *

By the way, for those who cared, Chii-kun (their cat) has died after being sick so many times, approximately maybe a month ago. Hinata built a tiny stone memorial in the Uchiha compound's garden. At the same time, it's also to commemorate Neji's death in the latest manga chapter of Naruto. *sniff* RIP again Neji Hyuuga *runs dramatically and cries in a dark corner*

For the next chapter... I think it'll be something you all would be excited about!

Merry Christmas again everyone! Even after all the tragedies that happened this month, I hope all your Christmases and New Years be merry and bright! ;D


	19. Roses

**OPrincess ShinigamiO** here! Yes yes, I'm very very late in posting! I could give some excuses for the lateness (like my old laptop suddenly going mad and I cannot create a new chapter until I got my new laptop *Mac Jr. is proud to be now part of my story-making*) but unfortunately, I also lost inspiration for quite awhile. It's not that schoolwork's keeping me off fanfiction, but without any motivation, it's best not to write at all. But now, I'm back! I'll still post chapters irregularly, meaning there's no telling when I will post a chapter or two. But I do appreciate all those who are asking for a new chapter, and I feel kinda guilty for lagging behind on my fanfic when I promised to finish it. I'm just not too good with long stories. ;P

Anyhoo, to put things in a nutshell, this is the chapter where all your SasuHina dreams come true! ;D Okay, maybe not all, but I do hope you'll like how it turned out. It's a bit shorter than the previous ones, but I do kinda like it. So please, enjoy your readings and I hope y'all like it!

Also, I'd like to thank all the lovelies who reviewed last chapter!_ Also, thank you to all who continue reading this fic without fail! I may not know all of you, but I appreciate all your silent support!

Disclaimer: Okay, Kishi-sensei, I'm happy with that NaruHina scene in chapter 615. If it were me, I never would've thought of doing that :P

* * *

_Roses_

…

Everyone knows that Sasuke Uchiha, the handsome former avenger who defected Konoha once and tried destroying it for revenge, was far from being a romantic prince charming.

At least in the eyes of his comrades.

Sure, he could be quite affectionate (and possessive) around his Hyuuga girlfriend (though he believes she is a lot more than that), but other than that, he hasn't really had the notion to shower her with presents, maybe except for when he decorated her room, and that was mostly because he was afraid of losing her to Gaara (though there was really nothing going on between the two friends).

Mostly, it was the other way around. Hinata loved babying her Uchiha lover.

She planted tomatoes and herbs in the Uchiha's backyard. Almost everyday if they weren't on missions, the former heiress would come to the Uchiha household and cook his favorite meals. If Sasuke wasn't around, she always made sure to look after his home, clearing off any dust or arranging private scrolls on the shelves without even a pique of curiosity of their secrets.

Others used to be afraid that the Uchiha was just using her, but their friends knew that that was far from the case. They knew that Sasuke loved Hinata with all his heart, despite all the setbacks they had in the past. After all, only she was able to bring him out of the darkness completely, and everyone knows it's a terribly big feat to make an Uchiha love again.

But still, their friends thought that the sole Uchiha should show his appreciation a bit more.

Unknown to them though, Hinata has been receiving gifts from Sasuke daily.

Aside from lavenders, the former heiress has lately become fond of roses and their different meanings. Ever since she visited Ino's flower shop and noticed the several varieties of roses, she decided that growing a colorful rose garden in the Uchiha Compound would definitely brighten up the place more.

She began studying them, of how their varying colors meant differently from one another. She studied on how to care for them, to be careful of their prickly thorns, and to let them grow into full bloom when the time is right.

Unfortunately, it takes a bit of time for them to grow, not to mention the difficulty of being sensitive and precise with these flowers. With her busy schedule, the disappointed Hyuuga only managed to successfully grow a tiny patch of budding red roses.

However, those very roses became an inspiration to the Uchiha.

Since then, the former avenger gave Hinata a single rose every once a week, each with different kinds of colors depending on his mood.

Of course, he wouldn't dare walk into the Yamanaka shop and risk having a certain blonde annoyance gossip about his doings. He still has his pride and reputation to hold onto.

But that doesn't mean he can't have his ways.

Every time, he would "hire" different little boys and have them buy the flowers in his stead, and then deliver them to places other than the Uchiha Compound. That way, Ino would have absolutely no clue as to who was buying roses from her every week despite her growing suspicion at the pattern.

Every single week when Hinata would arrive in the Uchiha's mansion, she would find a single rose lying in the porch without fail. She could tell when the former loner would be in a happy mood when he gives a yellow rose, or sad and angry when it's a blue rose, or extra affectionate when it's an orange rose. The only thing that she noticed was that he never gave her red roses, and she consoled to the fact that it was because she planted a patch in his garden.

But one Saturday, the day he usually leaves a rose, she didn't receive one.

This puzzled her, and she sought out the last Uchiha to question his inconsistency. Unfortunately, the indifferent brunette just shrugged and claimed that he couldn't find an innocent little brat to get one for him.

The next weekend, the former Hyuuga heiress wondered if Sasuke was getting tired of his rose game when she didn't find another rose waiting for her. The Uchiha claimed once again that he was too busy all week from his mission in the Cloud Village to worry about the roses. This disappointed the white-eyed beauty greatly, but decided to let it pass and believe her beloved's excuses. She did worry that this moment was going to happen sooner or later anyway.

But to her surprise, she found a rose sitting on the porch the next day. But it wasn't just any rose he usually gave her. No, this time, it was a black rose.

This sent the Hyuuga into a panic. When she first read about roses, she realized that black roses usually meant "death". And as far as she knew, black roses naturally don't exist. If Sasuke went all this way to give her a black rose instead of a blue one, then something really terrible must've happened to him.

Immediately, she picked up the dreaded flower and entered the Uchiha household, desperately calling the Uchiha to see if he's alright.

Instead, she found a single white rose lying on the dining table. Under it was a tiny white envelope with something written on it. Placing the black rose down and picking up the letter, the former heiress read the message.

"_If you can put two and two together, until then can you meet me in the backyard."_

Hinata was confused. This obviously seemed like a trick. Slowly ripping open the envelope, a tiny glittering object fell into her palm.

Curious, she brought the shiny thing close to her eyesight, and ultimately gasped as she realized what it was.

It was a simple diamond ring.

The band was a beautiful rose gold, with one tiny pink diamond so flawless and glitzy, it was impossible to look away from its beauty.

Hinata recalled the message Sasuke wrote in the letter. If you can put two and two together…

She placed a hand delicately on her lips. Now she realized the meaning of the pink diamond. It was the mixture of red and white, the Sharingan and the Byakugan. Unity between two very different colors.

Marriage.

Trying to suppress a sob, she looked down at the two roses lying peacefully beside each other. Analyzing the meaning of the roses, she smiled as she realized that the black rose didn't necessarily mean "death of a loved one". It was just a farewell to their current status. In exchange, a white rose, to signify a pure, innocent love.

The promise of everlasting love.

The former heiress giggled softly as she felt her tears slowly gliding through her cheeks. She knew that she was blushing madly, both in excited embarrassment and pure joy. Clutching the tiny ring in her hands and holding it onto her beating heart, she closed her eyes and thanked Kami for allowing her this moment of happiness.

She needn't have to think about her answer at all.

Almost forgetting that she should meet her now future husband after she figured out his riddle, she quickly patted her face and took deep breaths to calm herself before snatching up the pair of roses and the letter and ran (or skipped) to the door leading to the backyard.

As she slid the door open, she gasped as another huge surprise greeted her.

The backyard was transformed into like some sort of magical garden. Fairy lights glittered on the plants and flowers she loved growing. The grass was spread with colorful petals, with a circle of white petals surrounding a red picnic blanket full of the former heiress' favorite meals and tiny-lit candles.

And behind the candle-lit picnic casually stood the very person she's looking for, with a bouquet of red roses in one hand. He wasn't exactly dressed formally, but somehow his plain black v-neck sweater and dark gray pants looked fitting to the theme. Not to mention, it made him look incredibly handsome than any bulky traditional kimonos, though he'd probably still look great wearing those as well.

Smiling softly, she slowly made her way towards her beloved. The Sharingan-wielder plastered no clear expression on his handsome pale face, but his dark eyes were twinkling with such excitement and worry.

"How did you do it?" Hinata whispered as she finally stood in front of him.

"Nothing special you need to know." He replied.

Hinata giggled shyly as she pointed at the bouquet of red roses. "Are those from the rose patch I grew?"

Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly. "They were begging to be useful."

Hinata grinned, dropping the roses and the letter on the ground before holding up her rose gold ring before Sasuke.

"I want it done properly please, Sasuke-kun."

The Uchiha smirked. "I guess there's no other way."

Placing the bouquet of red roses down beside the black and white roses, he knelt in front of the Hyuuga, taking the ring from her hold.

Delicately pulling her left hand to his lips, he slowly closed his eyes and took in her sweet lavender scent.

"Hinata Hyuuga, will you do me the greatest honor of staying with me forever? I will not surrender you to anyone else, and I will not be accepting any other answer than 'yes'. I didn't ask the dobe, your weird teammates and your bratty sister to help me prepare all this for nothing you know."

Hinata suppressed a giggle, mentally reminding herself to thank her friends and sister for helping Sasuke pull all these off. This was the moment she's been dreaming of all her life. And now, she was living her dream. If it were her past self, she would never have thought of falling deeply in love with the vengeful Uchiha, the last person she would ever imagine to be with, what more marrying him. All her life, she thought that Naruto was the only person who could possibly make her feel this way.

But this was her life, and a new beginning was about to start. Whatever and whoever opposes them in the future, they'll stand firm as each other's walls.

Their love will forever bloom like the white rose. Eternal.

"Yes, Sasuke-kun. I will marry you!" She tearfully smiled as the relieved Uchiha slid the tiny engagement ring on her ring finger. Immediately, she tackled her now fiancé into a hug, ignoring the fact that she must be looking terrible at the moment.

Smug with his successful proposal, Sasuke smiled serenely as he held his one true love in his arms. For the thousandth time since he fell for the former heiress, he thanked his older brother for giving him another chance to live to see Hinata's smiling face. He thanked Naruto for his faith on him, for never giving up on him even when he seemed like a hopeless case. Finally, he thanked Hinata for bringing the feeling of love, joy, and excitement back into his heart.

For allowing him to feel true happiness once again.

The roses on the ground sat side by side with each other. The first time they met, it was like a black rose, hard and frightening. Then it blossomed into a white rose, blooming with love unbreakable by obstacles. And the bouquet of red roses? They're for all the wonderful memories they're about to experience in their new life together.

* * *

Once again, reviews are appreciated! Next chapter, no, it's still not the wedding yet. But... it'll another friend's point of view. And if you haven't guessed what letter's next,... well, good luck with guessing who's the next guest! :D


	20. Sakura

**OPrincess ShinigamiO** **here! **I'm totally losing my mood for Naruto fics, so I'm sorry if this turns out a bit half-hearted. But since I had the time to post my other new fic for Bleach "Kurosaki For A Year" (thanks to all those who bothered and who're planning to read by the way!), I decided to post this one too since I was almost through with this anyway. As usual, it's as light-hearted as ever, but it's also shorter than the last few chapters, I think.

Anyway, this chapter holds very little SasuHina fluff. More so, it concentrates more on Sakura's feelings towards them and how she's coping (Congrats to all those who guessed right!), so to those who don't really care, then too bad. I personally am not a fan of Sakura, although I was admittedly a hardcore SasuSaku fan in the earlier Naruto days. But I believe that her character does need some justice, so I hope I did even a bit of that for her feelings for Sasuke. Also, since I'm definitely not handing Sasuke or Naruto over to her (both belong with Hinata, hehehe), I'm gonna give her to someone of whom I think would look cute with her. If you haven't read my profile, then you might be in shock :P

Thanks once again for all those who reviewed and I hope you enjoy! ;D

Disclaimer: If I own, Sakura would FINALLY stop giving a shit about Sasuke, because seriously, her feelings for him are going to go absolutely NOWHERE as far as the story's going.

* * *

_Sakura_

….

"Are you sure, Sakura chan?"

The pinkette rolled her eyes, waving her newly manicured hand carelessly at her blonde companion.

"I'll be fine, Naruto. I know how to handle myself, thank you, and I already had my dinner before coming here. Just go and eat all the ramen your little heart desires."

"W-well, alright then! Honestly, Sakura-chan, I wouldn't be leaving you all alone if it weren't for the free ramen Old Man Teuchi's handing out!" the blonde ninja apologized.

"I told you, I'll be fine on my own. I'm meeting up with Ino anyway." Not.

Leaving one last apologetic look, Naruto scrambled away and into the busy crowd until he disappeared from sight. Sakura sighed, silently apologizing to Naruto for lying while fanning herself with a fuchsia pink fan that she bought for herself earlier. For a Sakura Festival, it was kinda hot that night. It didn't help that the festival was super crowded and bumpy.

Food stalls and games were standing everywhere. Yukatas and floral balloons could be seen almost anywhere. Children were skittering about with their parents, bragging about the prizes they won from some lucky shot.

The attractive pinkette herself was into the festival, donning on an exquisite lavender yukata and tiny floral hair accessories that held her hair up. To many people, Sakura Haruno was the perfect picture of a sakura goddess.

She's beautiful and kind, but she could also be tough and demanding. Several people compare her to their current Hokage, Tsunade, and they all agree that only Sakura has the capability of surpassing her teacher. Men from the village and even outside the Fire Country have their eyes on her, including her idiotic teammate, so it wouldn't come off as a surprise if she received a confession or two almost every day if not for the wars and frictional relationships common in the ninja world.

Too bad the only person the pink beauty wanted a confession from was Sasuke Uchiha, her former teammate and long-time unrequited love.

Of course, she's very well aware that he's already very much taken. In fact, news spread around that he recently just proposed to his Hyuuga love, Hinata.

Sakure bit her lip as she nearly bumped into a random guy. She knew deep in her heart that she had no reason to despise Hinata, especially since she's one of her close friends. But she just couldn't help that tiny pang of jealousy whenever she spots her friend with the Uchiha.

It's not easy getting over one's longtime crush, but ever since the last Uchiha returned and still refused to open up to her, she tried her very best to forget about her feelings for him. She tried dating other men through Ino's suggestion, but not one of them did she find good enough to replace Sasuke in her heart.

She remembered that one night maybe three or four months ago, during an emergency in the hospital. Hinata and her were the only ones available to help. It was there that the Hyuuga heiress decided to have a heart-to-heart talk with her.

"_U-um, Sakura-san?"_

_Sakura wiped a sweat from her forehead. "Hm?"_

"_Um, I-I… oh, how do I say this…" she mumbled. Sakura raised an eyebrow._

"_Spit it out, Hinata. What's up? It's not like I bite or anything."_

_Hinata flinched slightly. Somehow Sakura thought that her friend was a little bit unbelieving._

"_I…. I think I like Sasuke-kun…"_

_Sakura paused, her emerald hues staring at the body infront of them as if analyzing their next move._

"_That's nothing knew. You like everyone, I think."_

"_I-I m-mean! I-"_

"_Don't bother, Hinata. I was just kidding."_

_The Byakugan wielder snapped her head up in surprise. The pinkette pretended not to notice while wiping off the blood on the scalpel._

"_It's kinda obvious, Hina. Well, at least Sasuke-kun was. He may act cold and uncaring on the outside, but there's absolutely no doubt when he's fallen heads over heels in love."_

_Both were silent for awhile. Sakura herself was quite proud of herself for not sounding too offended. Reaching out a reassuring hand to pat her friend's shoulder, the pinketter smiled sadly._

"_But I'm glad you told me your feelings. Although, it's not like I'm Sasuke-kun's owner or anything. But… I'm glad you took my feelings to account, Hina. It means a lot to me."_

"_Y-you, you're sure?"_

_Sakura plastered the grin, ignoring the tiny pang of pain that blossomed in her chest._

"_O-of course! Look, it's obvious since the very beginning that Sasuke-kun would never fall for the likes of me, especially since I was too obvious and forceful with my feelings in the past. But you," Sakura gave her friend a hug, "You're the one he needs. The only person he'll ever have patience for will always be you. And even though it admittedly hurts, I'm grateful that you were able to pull him away from the darkness. As his friend and teammate, I thank you for doing the one thing I couldn't do for him. And since I know you, I know for certain that your future with him will be secure and happy."_

As the medic decided to rest in a bench outside the festival, she sighed in relief as she freed her feet from the pinchy sandals she borrowed from her best frenemy.

"Well," she muttered to herself, "At least it doesn't hurt as much as before. That means I've improved right? I can get through this, I know I can."

Her lips lifted slightly, comforted to the fact that maybe she can get over Sasuke for good. Yes, it still hurts now, but she cannot deny the fact that the pain lessened ever since she got used to the idea of the Uchiha coupling up with Hinata.

"Alright, girl. Enough with this sad nonsense. Let's just go back and enjoy the festival- ow!" She winced as she stepped into her sandals again. Looking down, she realized that her left sandal's strap was ripped off completely. She inwardly cursed to herself as she lifted the damned shoe to her frowning face.

"Crap. Now I owe Ino one. And it was one of her favorites too…" she murmured to herself.

"Are you alright?" a deep, husky voice suddenly spoke. Surprised, the pinkette snapped her head up, her emerald green eyes widening even further as she realized who was speaking.

"K-Kazekage-san?"

The redheaded former jinchuuriki shook his head lightly. "Gaara, please. And you are… Sakura Haruno? Naruto's teammate?"

The surprised medic slowly nodded in response. "Um, y-yes. Uh, Kaze- I mean, Gaara-san, if you don't mind my asking, but what are you doing here?"

Gaara tilted his head slightly, the corner of his lips very slightly lifting as if remembering an inner joke. "Under Naruto's request, your Hokage decided to invite my village to celebrate the Sakura Festival here, since as you know, our village lacks thereof."

"Oh, right. I think Naruto did mention that to me last weekend." Sakura replied, stopping herself from rolling her eyes in front of the stoic Kazekage. Ever since Naruto and Gaara formed a close bond as fellow jinchuurikis, the blonde ninja never failed to invite the latter into friendly gatherings, even if it's within Konoha premises. The pinkette could just imagine how far Naruto would go just to convince Tsunade to involve Gaara into village happenings.

An awkward silence surfaced as both skilled ninjas lacked of topics to casually talk about when Sakura noticed that the redhead didn't have his usual guards with him.

"Ah, Gaara-san. Where are Temari-san and Kankuro-san? I thought they'd be here to escort you."

"They're quite… busy with their own businesses." Gaara slowly replied, closing his dark-lined eyes in slight annoyance. "I think you know my sister's involvement with one of your friends."

"Oh, right."

"… What about you? Why are you all alone here? Where is Naruto?"

Sakura gave a tiny shrug. "Where else? He's shoving his face down ramen bowls. I wasn't in the mood, so I left for awhile. And now…" She pulled up her broken sandal with a grunt. "I think I'm going to head home instead."

Gaara was silent for awhile, contemplating the broken sandal on her hand.

"… Would you like to borrow one of Temari's?"

Sakura blinked.

"…. H-huh?"

"I can pick them up at the hotel we're staying. I'm sure my sister won't mind." Then to Sakura's surprise, the Kazekage's face turned a slight bit similar to his hair color. "… Would you like to accompany me or would you rather wait here?"

Sakura blinked. And blinked. And blinked.

This was a shock.

The Kazekage was EMBARRASSED. And right in front of her no less.

"… Um, my sandal is broken…" Sakura said dumbly, lifting up her sandal. "I think I'll wait here-"

Just then, she was distracted when she noticed a pair of brunettes walking hand in hand behind Gaara. They seemed not to notice the awkward pair, as they strolled outside the premises of the festival.

The girl had her long silky midnight blue hair up in a loose chignon, with silver and lavender hair ornaments decorating her hair. Her powder blue yukata and carnation pink obi belt complimented her pale white skin. Against the Sakura backdrop and the starry sky, she looked like the personification of the Moon Goddess herself.

The man wore only a loose dark blue yukata to compliment his counter-part's, like the dark sky that held the moon and the stars. Together, they were like the night, silent and peaceful and beautiful.

Sakura's chest dropped slightly as she stared longingly at the enchanting pair. It's been too long a dream for her to be the Goddess holding the man's hand. It helped that she rarely saw them together these past few weeks.

But now, it felt like hell. Cold, burning hell.

"Weren't you in love with the Uchiha, Sakura-san?"

Sakura turned her head to the Kazekage, who was observing the pair himself. The pinkette was slightly relieved to be distracted from the painful sight.

"Um, yes. Well, until now… I guess I still kinda like him." She mumbled the last part, but still, it was loud enough for Gaara to catch. Gaara turned to face her, his face showing no visible expression. Sakura waved a hand.

"Don't worry, Gaara-san. I'll get over it. What's important is that they're both happy. I'm sure I'll get used to it in no time-yike!"

To her surprise, the emotionless Kazekage began pulling her away from the festival. His hand covered hers. Sakura stared at their joint hands. Gaara's hand was larger than hers, and surprisingly smooth and warm over her small pale one. The pinkette blushed slightly in embarrassment. From all the hospital duties and fistful missions she had, her hand probably has a lot more flaws, wherein the redhead only needed to manipulate sand to do his dirty work.

But it felt comforting. Warm, comforting, and protective.

Sakura looked up at the Kazekage. Though he wasn't facing her, she could tell that his cheeks were slightly warming up. That's the second time that happened that night.

The pinkette herself began to blush harder. But she smiled slightly as she realized what he's done for her.

"…Th-thank you, Gaara-san…" she whispered, loud enough for the redhead to hear. If possible, the Kazekage's cheeks flushed harder, and to her surprise, Sakura thought it was quite adorable to see him being awkward and embarrassed. But hey, at least he's trying.

"… You're welcome."

At that, Sakura grinned. Maybe she'll start being braver around the awkward Kazekage from now on, just to see him blush even harder. Maybe she'll even get him to smile!

As they went on their way in the empty streets, Sakura never really realized that she was walking barefoot, her broken sandal on her one hand, her other wrapped in a warm embrace with the Kazekage's.

* * *

Please leave a review and look forward for the next chapters! For the next one, I think we'll be hearing some wedding bells ringing! Or not. ;P


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